Jinchuriki Bonds: A Life Beyond the Pain
by Toto Yoshio
Summary: Trapped in a collapsing cave, Naruto and Gaara escape when they find a mysterious portal. Consequently they wind up in a monster world. Stranded there, the two Jinchuriki are forced to enroll at Yokai Academy. How will they adapt to this new way of life? Chapter 10 has been posted!
1. Chapter 1: Hunting The Jinchuriki

Jinchuriki Bonds: A Life Beyond the Pain – Toto Yoshio

Well I finally got around to writing a crossover fanfic. It's a Naruto and Rosario vampire fanfic. I had been working on this for over month and I actually finish it a few weeks ago, but like an idiot I accidently erased the first chapter. After mentally kicking my own ass for a few hours I decided to rewrite it. It might have been a blessing in disguise because I like this version a lot more than the original. Well anyways I want you guys to know that I decided to try and do this without my beta's help, so if there are any punctual errors I apologize in advance. Oh and another thing, I got this idea from a crossover I read a month ago. But I want everyone to know that my story is completely different as far as the plot is concerned. So I thought I'd just bring that up before anyone thinks I stole the story from someone. Well I'm done rambling, onto the story! R&R

Disclaimer: I'm only going to say this once during the course of this story. I do not own Naruto or Rosario Vampire that much is obvious.

**Chapter 1: Hunting The Jinchuriki**

Jumping from branch to branch in an uncharted forest, were two young shinobi. The rate they were traveling at was astounding considering how worn out they were. But they didn't have a choice they couldn't stop since there were being chased by masked ninja. They didn't know why but at the moment it was irrelevant. Their main objective was trying to figure out a way to get rid of the ones who were following them. Both of them were low on chakra so they didn't have many options. But dying definitely wasn't one of them.

The red headed teen wore a long sleeved crimson coat underneath his Suna flak jacket. He wore a grey vest over it, which is usually worn over his cloak. His black trousers matched with his black sandal. He also had large gourd strapped on his back. The blonde haired teen wore an orange and black track suit. Wrapped tightly around his forehead, was a headband with a leaf forehead protector.

_What are they after? _Gaara wondered as he picked up a little bit of speed. Looking to his left, he saw the focused face of his blonde friend. Naruto at first glance looked to be exhausted, which is expected considering all the battles that he took part in. Still that didn't matter because he wasn't one to quit, especially during a war. Gaara then turned his attention back towards the shinobi who were chasing them.

There was a pretty good distance between them, which gave the two teenagers time to come up with a plan. Looking closer he saw a mask that he recognized. The mask had an evil face, with two devil horns sticking out the top of it. _I remember that mask. _It was the same mask of the man that tried to kill him three years ago. He and a small group of shinobi from Suna, tried to eliminate him when he was on a mission with team 7 from the leaf. Naruto of course was a part of team 7, but it was highly doubtful that he would remember_. If he's chasing us that means…_

"Gaara!" the blonde shouted to get his friends attention.

"Huh? What?" He replied.

"What's wrong? It's not like you to lose focus." The hyperactive ninja questioned with a look of concern. Gaara was always attentive in situations like this so it was strange to see him zoning out.

Gaara lowered his eyes while hopping onto a sturdy branch. He didn't want to tell him the real reason why they were being chased by shinobi from their own villages. "It's nothing"

The blonde stared at his friend for several seconds. He knew he was hiding something from him, that much was true. _The question is what? _He thought with narrowed eyebrows. After a while decided to shrug it off and question him about it later. Now they needed to figure out a way to get rid of these assassins. _Just what the hell do these guys want with us? _He wondered_. _Right after Gaara sealed Mu, they were ambushed by group of masked shinobi._ Whatever it is I'm going to find out._ He was probably just as frustrated as Gaara was. Here they are fighting a war and suddenly they get ambushed by allied shinobi. It just didn't make any sense. Nonetheless they needed to do something about their predicament. Naruto didn't have any ideas but he was positive his red headed friend did. "Gaara, do you have a plan to get rid of these clowns?"

The Kazekage nodded his head 'yes'. "Yeah I do, but I need to know how much chakra you have left?" he didn't need to have a lot, but he need to have some.

"To be honest I don't have a whole lot, but if I don't have enough I'll make it enough!" Naruto said with a foxy grin on his face. He always had a positive attitude.

"Well I don't have that much either, but when you use that logic I can't complain." The young leader had a faint smile on his face. "I asked about your chakra levels because we need to finish them quick. And in order for that to happen we need to use our strongest jutsu."

"Hmm I guess I have enough to use the nine-tails chakra mode one more time." _Should I use the nine tails chakra or sage mode?_ _Or maybe I should use them both at once_. He wondered, while rubbing his chin. Either way he'd defeat them quickly. He stopped his thought process and turned to look at his jinchuriki counterpart. "So what's the plan?"

The red head was quiet for a moment. He was still contemplating on whether it would work or not. Turning his head slightly to the left, Gaara gazed back at the men who were on their tail. They seemed to be a good distance away from them, well enough for them to relax. With his mind made up he turned his head to face Naruto.

"It's simple."

* * *

><p><em>Two vibrant teenagers made their way through a meadow of flowers on their bicycles. They were on their way to school but decided to take a detour. Both of them were students at Yokai Academy and they were excited about starting their junior year. One of them was a skinny brunette boy with brown eyes to match. His name is Tsukune Aono and he is a human. The other teen was a beautiful pink haired girl with emerald colored eyes. Her name is Moka Akashiya and she's happens to be a vampire. She pedaled faster to catch up with Tsukune who was ahead of her. <em>

"_Tsukune…" she cheerfully said, while ride up beside him. _

"_Hi Moka" the boy replied with flushed cheeks_

"_Tsukune…" _

"_Oh Moka…" _

"_Umm Tsukune?" she asked abruptly interrupting there back in forth _

"_What is it? Do you want to suck my blood again?" _

"_Actually I want something else?" she said while leaping off her bicycle to tackle him to the ground. When they landed on the ground, they had found themselves in a compromising position. Moka was on the floor while Tsukune was on top of her; his legs entangled with hers. Both of them were now blushing profusely. _

"_Umm Moka are you sure you want to do this?" _

"_It's okay as long as it is with you," she replied with an encouraging smile. _

_The brunette nodded his head before closing his eyes and leaning down. As he got closer, he began puckering up in anticipation of their lips meeting. But before his lips could reach hers he felt a cold chill causing him to open his eyes. When he opened his brown orbs Moka looked completely different. Her hair was now silver instead of pink. Her breasts were slightly bigger and her legs were a tad bit thicker. Those beautiful emerald eyes of hers were now crimson red. Last but not least her vampire fangs were now even sharper. She looked up at him with a devilish grin, while he stared back in terror. _

"_You got a lot of nerve trying to steal a kiss from me." The silver haired woman smirked at the nervous boy above her. _

"_Uhh know you got it all wrong!" he said while waving his hands defensively. _

"_Know your place!" she then kicked him square in the nuts launching him towards the sky. _

"Noooo!" he screamed before falling off his bed and onto the floor. He groaned in pain when his head made contact with the wood. "Oww..." He murmured before picking his self-up off the floor. "It was just a dream?" he questioned as he stood up stretched. _Thank god… _he thought before yawning. After he wiped the eye crust out of his eyes he gazed at his alarm clock. Once he realized what time it was he shouted "What the hell!"

**Five minutes later **

Tsukune's mother Kasumi was down stairs cooking breakfast. She had already fried the bacon and eggs, all she needed to do was finish the pancakes and pour glass of orange juice and breakfast would be complete. "I hope Tsukune's hungry." She said while flipping the pancakes that were on the skillet. She then caught them in midair with same black pot. After that she dumped the hot bread on a platter.

As soon as she finished, she heard the sound of thundering footsteps heading down the stairs. Tsukune came dashing down the steps and stumbled into the living room while dropping his shoes in the process.

"Look at the time I gotta go!" he said while picking up his shoes and heading for the door.

"What about breakfast?" Kasumi shouted from the kitchen. Her spatula raised in a questioning manner.

"Uh… uh I'll eat when I get there!" he said before running out the door.

"Just make sure you come home for summer this year!" she shouted to him before he closed the door behind him. She looked at the delicious meal she just created and sighed in frustration. "Well I guess I'll have to wrap it up and save it for his father when he gets home."

Tsukune put his shoes on quickly while he was on the porch. Once they were on and the laces were tied he sprinted towards the gate. Meanwhile a brunette wearing a red jacket and white t-shirt was making her way around the corner. He quickly opened the gate and ran in the opposite direction. He didn't even notice her, but she still felt the need to say hello.

"Hey Tsuki! how longs it been cousin?" the beautiful brunette jumped cheerfully in the air.

"Sorry Kyouko I gotta go!"

With a scowl on her face Kyuoko crossed her arms and huffed. "Geez… thanks for the warm welcome cuz." She was annoyed that he didn't even have the time to say hello. Sure he was in a hurry but that wasn't an excuse to be rude. _Whatever... I guess I'll check on auntie, _she thought while opening the gate.

**Ten minutes later **

Arriving just in time, Tsukune ran to the maple colored bus that was about to pull up. The steel doors parted revealing a man in a blue bus uniform. He was the same creepy guy who picked him up during his first year at Yokai Academy. His eye glowed white, while he smiled from ear to ear. Strangely enough Tsukune wasn't in the least bit scared. Maybe he was used to it or he just got used to being around strange people. Calmly he waved to the bus driver and proceeded to walk to the back of the bus. He sat in his usual seat on the left hand side.

As soon as he sat down he gazed out the clear window and began daydreaming. _I can't wait to get to Yokai to start the new school year. It's going to be great to see all of my friends again. This year the newspaper club will be twice as good. _The young boy was excited to get back to school. It had only been a few weeks but it felt like an eternity to him. _But most of all I can't wait to spend some alone time with Moka. _Before he could start fantasizing about the pink haired goddess, the bus driver voice pulled him away from his thoughts.

"Hey Kid, have you gotten used to it yet?"

"Yeah I guess so…" Tsukune replied sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

"Yokai Academy is a school of monster, by monsters, and for monsters. If you can make it there you're no ordinary guy."

"Still watch your back." The man's voice lost its playful tone and became more serious.

Interested in his concern Tsukune asked "why?"

"Because just when you think you got things figured out, that when everything goes straight to hell…" the man chuckled wickedly after his last statement.

Tsukune took his words to heart. He knew how crazy Yokai was, and after what happened last year nothing could surprise him. _Besides I've been having this strange sensation since I woke up, like something was off. I have feeling he's right… This year will probably be twice as crazy as the last._

* * *

><p>Making their way through the woods they saw some light up ahead. They were getting close to the forest opening. Gaara told Naruto they were going to need a large open space for the plan to be successful. It made sense, fighting with low chakra in a compact forest while being chased by ten assassins wasn't a pleasant thought. Not to mention the fact they probably had reinforcements on the way. With that being said they needed to handle things quickly. Stopping on huge sturdy branch, the two Jinchuriki exchanged parting words. "Alright Naruto this is it…" The red head's spoke softly in his usual deep raspy voice.<p>

The Kyuubi jinchuriki smiled at his friends while giving him thumbs up. "You can count on me!" His voice was filled with the usual enthusiasm. But why wouldn't he? He always had faith in his friends and Gaara was probably his closest one.

"You just be sure to catch up with me when you're finished here." He smirked than proceeded hopping on the branches toward the forest opening.

The Ichibi Jinchuriki stood there while watching his friend head towards the field. He watched the blonde until he was no longer visible. _His resolve never ceases to amaze me. _Those were his thoughts before he turned back around to face his visitors. Casually he stood there with his arms folded underneath his chest, awaiting their arrival. His green eyes now locked on the approaching ninja.

"Hey one of the demons stopped." A dog masked ninja said.

"Which one is it?" another member asked.

Squinting several times he replied. "I think it's the shukaku."

A man wearing a devil masked smirked underneath his mask. He had been waiting to for another opportunity to kill him since he failed three years ago. _Gaara you're all mine._ Slowly he lifted his hand in the air and flicked his wrist. He was signaling to the squad behind him, to move ahead. He decided to let them catch the kyuubi. It didn't matter to him, as long as he got credited for eliminating the monster that had been wreaking havoc in his village for years.

The leader of squad B blinked several times before he saw the signal clearly. Why does he want us to go ahead? He wondered. Using his binoculars the man looked ahead. His eyes locked on a red haired teen. _Oh I get it, so that's how it is. _"Alright men were going around." He abruptly said. His subordinates raised their eyebrows underneath their masks before saying "Yes sir!" They didn't know why they were straying away from the original plan, but orders are orders. The five man squad shifted left and then went straight ahead.

After about thirty seconds of waiting, Gaara found himself surrounded by the ANBU officers. Each of them was hanging on a branch no less than 15 feet away from him. The red head was completely surrounded. However he didn't seem to be phased by this in the least. As usual his face remained expressionless showing no signs of fear. They all had on animal masks of different colors and shapes. But that wasn't what he was interested in as his eyes wondered to each of the ninja that had him surrounded. "1, 2…" he started, his eyes were briefly focused on the two ninjas to the right of him. Both of them had on Suna flak jackets. Next his eyes shifted to the right, where two leaf ninja were standing on a thin branch. "3, 4…" After that he looked at the tall thin man wearing a Suna flak jacket. Cleary he was the captain. And "5" _perfect that means the other five went after Naruto, Just as I expected. _

"Kazekage Gaara, we have you surrounded." the squad captain declared, while smirking underneath his mask. He had his arms resting on his sides, which meant he didn't take the red head seriously. Guessing by his attitude, he was under the assumption that Gaara wasn't a threat anymore since he was low on chakra. "If you'd like will give you a moment to say your last words…"

Gaara didn't respond he just stood there in his usual stance. His arms were folded across his chest and he stood straight with his shoulders parallel with one another. Those green eyes of his were now closed. After what seemed like forever he opened his mouth to speak. "I'll give you one chance. Leave now or you'll regret it…"

Underneath his mask he scowled. He couldn't believe the arrogance of the young Kazekage. "I'm surprised you're so cocky considering the condition you're in. No matter…" The assassin raised his hand towards the sky. Then he dropped without a second of hesitation. Immediately the four men jumped back and through several Kunai with explosive tags that were wrapped on the blade. The red head kept his eyes closed as the explosive objects were about to make contact with his body. On impact they detonated, causing the whole forest to shake momentarily. Fire and smoke was the only thing you could see from Gaara's current position. Flaming pieces of bark spread across the forest floor.

"Time to go in for the kill…" The man said while pulling out a thin scroll. He raised his hands to form a hand sign. There was a small poof and a puppet appeared. The puppet looked like the crow, but instead of having blades it had duel pistols. The puppet aimed at the inferno and then fired. Oozing out of the valve was a thin layer of poisonous gas." Even if he survived that attack, there's no way he could handle this gas. It's the deadliest poison in the sand village." He doused the inferno for about a minute before he stopped.

Right when he ceased fire the flames began to settle. Slowly they simmered down a bit, but there was still quite a bit of smoke so they couldn't see clearly. By watching the smoke cloud they had no idea if the Kazekage was alive or dead. Before the debris could clear up, they heard his voice.

"I warned you" said a deep voice from with within the smoke cloud. Finally the smoke was beginning to clear, but what they saw surprised them beyond belief. Gaara was encased in a hard ball of sand. There small bits of flames still on the hard grit. Slowly the front of the sand began to recede revealing young village leader. His face was still expressionless, but he did seem a little annoyed. "Well now I have no choice…"

Small pieces of sand began to drop out of his shield. In mid-air the small pieces of sand began to take the form of sharp needles. "This is the end…" he said before whispering, "**Sand Shower: Barrage…" **

The squad captain recognized this jutsu and new how deadly it could be. "You guys take cover!" He screamed, but by the time he finished his sentence it was too late.

Instantly the sharp needles shot out at the speed of bullets from a shot gun. The men tried to jump away, but the speed they traveled at was too great. Not even a second had passed since he fired his sand bullets and least one of them had pierced a target. He could tell by the different screams he was hearing. Blood spurted out of their flesh and onto the oak trees. All of them fell backwards off their tree and dropped dead towards the forest floor. The bullets were so powerful that when they hit the trees a dust cloud was created.

The bullets that pierced each member were shot at an unbelievable speed. Most of the time, his sand bullets reach their target within a second, but these travel by milliseconds. There was no hope of dodging them. Their chance of survival was 5 percent at best. This assault continued for thirty seconds. He had to make sure there were no survivors; it would be a nuisance to fight another unnecessary battle. Once he was positive he hit all of his targets he stopped.

It pained him to have to resort to this. The last thing he wanted to do was kill ninja from his own village, but he had no choice in the matter. It had to be done, he wanted to avoid it, but there really was no way around it. There was a war going on that would decide the fate of the world, there was no time for setbacks. He had no idea why they were targeting him in Naruto, but it didn't matter. All he knew was that he didn't have time to waste on them.

The red head looked at debris that was now surrounding the area. Some of it was smoke from the explosion and the rest of it was dust that rose up from the barrage of bullets. He took one final glance at the carnage in front of him. "Forgive me…" he said before taking off in the direction of the forest opening. He had to catch up to Naruto so he could lend him hand. If he needs it… that is.

As the spikey haired boy got further away, the dust began to settle. The attack was obviously far deadlier than it used to be when he was still a child. All the trees in the surrounding area had hundreds of holes in them. Blood was also smudged on the trees. But out of all the carnage there, the worst sight was the 4 corpses that were scattered across the vicinity. Pieces of sand were lodged in their bodies along with bark. There was no chance in hell for anyone to survive that attack from close range.

Well that's what you would expect, however a dark figure emerged on from the settling dust. His body was severely bruised. He had cuts all over his arms and legs. But he had a contusion on his right shoulder, almost rendering it useless. The squad leader was leaning up against the tree since his legs were damaged. He tried to test their stability but he tripped over a piece of bark and landed flat on his face. "Damn it!" His voice was muffled since his face was in the dirt. Slowly he pushed himself up, so could sit on the soft soil. He dug into his weapons pouch and pulled out some bandage wrap. Next he unraveled the necessary amount before cutting it off with his teeth.

Once that was done he proceeded to wrap the bandages around his injured shoulder. The man showed great patience as he calmly tended to his own injuries. He also seemed to be prepared, not many shinobi pack bandage wraps in their weapons pouch. When he was finished the masked assassin sighed in relief. "Fuck… I can't believe I let the shukaku get away." He said while extending his legs. Now that he was done with his arm he needed to take care of his legs. Slowly he placed his palms over his knees. After a few seconds his hands started to emit a green light. Medical ninjutsu was his only option if he wanted to catch up with the one-tail. He wasn't an expert in the field, but he decided to learn a little bit just in case he found himself in a predicament such as this.

When he was finished, he wasted no time in trying to move. "I gotta catch that damn demon!" He said while lifting his left leg off the ground. All of his bones felt stiff, but they were much better. He placed the palm of his hand on his left thigh and then pushed himself up so he was standing on both feet. "It's my responsibility since I failed the last time." Now that his wounds were taken care of, the assassin began walking north. "I'll kill him… If it's the last thing I do."

* * *

><p>Arriving at Yokai Academy was a busty blue haired girl, and two her left was a petite brunette. The blue haired girl on the right sported her usual yellow sweater vest, which exposed her large breast. She wore a long sleeve blouse underneath the small vest. Just like the other girls she wore a small checkered skirt.<p>

The small brunette wore a pink top, a pink corset, a pink shawl, and a yellow bow. Clearly pink was her favorite color. On her head she wore a pointy light brown witch hat, with a matching brown cap. She also wore brown shoes and matching knee socks.

Not long after the duo passed the school gates, they were surrounded by freshmen girls. All of the first year students gazed at them with pure admiration. It seemed they had heard about them during their last year in junior high. The girls screamed with excitement before they began groping the unsuspecting females. Their hands wondered from their breast to their legs and then their behinds.

It wasn't shocking to see that Kurumu Kurono was actually enjoying the sexual attention; she is a succubus after all. However it was surprising to see 12 year old Yukari Sendo relishing the grope fest she was receiving. But then again the young witch was bisexual so it wasn't a complete shock. This went on for a while until a voice broke them away from paradise.

"Uhh… Kurumu… Yukari… what are you doing?" A pink haired girl asked softly.

Hearing the familiar voice, the two girls immediately turned around to see who it was. Once they did they saw none other than Moka Akashiya standing there with a cheerful smile. She had on the standard green jacket that she always seemed to wear. The silver Rosario hung safely between her breasts. Kurumu and Yukari were about to greet their friend, but before they could, the flock of freshmen girls that were groping them stopped and ran towards the unsuspecting vampire.

As soon as they got to her they started asking her questions, while telling her how much they admire her. "You girls must be freshmen huh?" she was obviously embarrassed by all the attention she was receiving. To make matters worse the newcomers began to touch her in private areas. Unlike Kurumu and Yukari she didn't enjoy all that sexual attention. "Stop it!" she screamed while blushing.

"What's with those damn freshmen? One minute there flying all over me than the next there going crazy over Moka!" she scoffed while folding her arms across her chest. It was bad enough she was getting all Tsukune's attention, which Kurumu desperately desired. But now the freshman girls liked her more.

When Moka finally broke away from the rampaging females, she walked over to her friends to greet them. "Nice going Moka… once again you steal the spotlight." The busty succubus was somewhat irritated, but still she was happy to see her friend and rival in romance.

"Sorry Kurumu I didn't mean to…" she replied nervously.

"Moka!" the young witch yelled before jumping on the pink haired girl. "I've missed you!" she shouted while squeezing her female love interest.

"Ha-ha… I've missed you to Yukari…" She said before returning her embrace.

Once Yukari released Moka the three girls began to converse about their summers. For several minutes they discussed all the activities they did to keep themselves busy. The conversation was going well until they noticed that some members from their group weren't present. "Hey have you guys seen Mizore or Tsukune around?" Moka questioned.

"No I haven't, but I'm pretty sure Mizore will show up when we least expect it." Yukari chuckled. That was always the case with the snow woman.

"Who cares about that stalker freak? I'm worried about my beloved Tsukune..." The succubus commented with a smirk. Before Moka could scold her about being nicer to the snow girl this year, an ice shard landed directly between Kurumu's eyes.

Exactly to the left of them about 20 feet away was a young girl leaning against a small a tree. The girl had light purple hair that barely went passed her neck. She wore a white sweatshirt with long blue sleeves and a black singlet underneath. Also she had a gold pendant over neck. Underneath her skirt, she had on a pair of purple and pink stockings. The shy girl had a scowl on her face as she sucked on her vanilla lollipop. "Who are you calling a freak? You big boobed bimbo…"

"Hey Mizore where you been?" Moka waved at the approaching girl.

The snow woman walked towards the group of girls with a bored expression. "I've been running from these annoying freshman girls all morning." She stopped right between the witch and the vampire. "Once I finally gave them the slip I came here…"

Yukari looked up at the ice girl. "Have you seen Tsukune around?"

"No, if I did I'd be stalking him right now, but unfortunately I'm stuck here with you three." After she said that she noticed the glare she was receiving from Moka and Yukari. "No offense…" she added with a smile.

Pulling the ice shard out of her forehead, the sexy succubus growled while glaring at her rival. "I'm going to kick your ass snow skank!" Not wasting anytime, she extracted her wings, claws, and tail. She had been waiting to take Mizore on for a while now. Even though the two of them are friends they're always at each other throats.

"Bring it on Kurumu, once I get rid of you I'll be that much closer to having Tsukune all to myself," Her soft hands took the form of ice claws.

Colorful blue eyes met dark purple ones as they stared down one another. All of the girls including the freshmen were quiet in anticipation of their battle. Yukari seemed amused by this, but Moka had a look of worry. _Why do they all ways have to do this? _She thought. Her eyes darted back in forth between girls. The long awaited fight between succubus and snow woman was about to take place, but before they could begin they heard something that drawled their attention. They heard a loud feminine scream that was coming from close by.

"You damn pervert!" An angry blonde girl yelled before punching a male student in the face, launching him several feet away. He landed right in the middle of Kurumu and Mizore.

Looking down at the peeping tom he seemed familiar. His eyes were red-violet, and he had short black hair. He wore the standard green jacket like all the other male students, but he had a ride tie on with his shirt open and there was wolf pendant around his neck. His camera lied on his stomach; surprisingly the damage it received was minimal. Only the lens was cracked, but it didn't matter he had many cameras.

The four females shook their heads in shame. It was there newspaper captain in all his perverted glory. "Gin…" they all said simultaneously while staring down at him.

Gin Morioka tried to focus his eyes on the four girls but he was finding it difficult to see with his black eye. "What's up ladies?" The werewolf asked nervously while noticing the annoyed look on their faces.

"Taking pictures of girls again huh pervert?" Kurumu inquired with an irritated look on her face. Out of all the boys on campus Gin had to be the one that annoyed her the most.

"Uhh… No I was actually…" Before he could finish, the blue haired girl kicked him square in the jaw.

"You damn pig!" she screamed.

He groaned in pain while rubbing his throbbing jaw. Unfortunately he didn't have an excuse for his female colleagues. "You don't understand I was doing it for the-" A yellow pot was dropped directly on his head, once again interrupting his explanation.

Yukari lowered her wand after staring shamefully down at the S class monster. "Times like this make me feel glad to be underage."

Before any more damage could be fall the young werewolf, Moka knelt down and tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey Gin…" she spoke softly.

He looked up at the beautiful girl and smiled. "Hey Moka… How's it going?"

"Gin have you seen Tsukune around anywhere?" She asked. Since Gin happened to be a pervert who spent most of his time going around campus taking pictures of naked girls, he might have already seen Tsukune.

"No… I haven't…" he said while picking himself up off the ground. Slowly he patted his clothes in an attempt to get rid of all the dust. "I thought he was with you."

The gorgeous vampire frowned at his answer. She was hoping that one of her friends would have seen him by now. She was going to go search for him but the bell rang. All of them sighed in disappointment before turning around and heading for the main building. Gin, Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore all headed for class, but Moka just stood there staring at the school entrance. _Tsukune… Where are you? _

In the human world a male brunette was standing on the side of the road with his arm extended and his thumb facing upward. While riding in the bus on his way to Yokai the bus suddenly stopped. It took the bus driver about ten minutes to figure out what was wrong with the damn thing. It turned out that the battery was dead. With that being said they needed another car so they could jump it. The bus driver was sort of a creepy fellow, so he couldn't go look for help. However Tsukune volunteered to help, since he needed to get to school. He had already been standing on the road for 20 minutes and so far no one offered to lend a hand. As matter a fact some jerks had passed by in a Mitsubishi and flipped him off. Today was already turning out to be bad. It was already 11 o clock in they hadn't made any progress.

"What the hell! Won't somebody pull over?" Sweat was starting to run down his forehead. _At this rate I'm going to miss lunch! _

* * *

><p>Sitting in the open field, Naruto awaited the arrival of his visitors. The blonde already knew what he wanted to do so there wasn't much to plan. He decided he would once again use the nine-tails chakra mode so he could finish the battle in a matter of seconds. He would use sage mode, but he really didn't feel like building up nature energy<em>. <em>This way was much faster; the only downside was he couldn't stay in Kyuubi mode for long. The chakra he had left was minimal, and the more time he spent in kyuubi mode the nine tails would steal his chakra.

_I'm going to have to end this quickly. _He knew he didn't have time to mess around_. I hope Gaara is alright. He told me he would take care of the first squad and then he'll meet me here as soon as he's done. Those guys didn't seem all that strong, so he should be on his way right now. _Stopping his thinking process, he lifted his head to gaze at the forest.

Feeling a presence nearby, he stood up watched the forest in front of him. The bushes were rustling around so that meant some body was about to emerge. Coming out of the forest first was a large man in a dog mask. He wore a leaf flak jacket, and had tan skin. The masked assassin smiled devilishly underneath his mask. "It seems the nine-tails has been awaiting our arrival." He raised his hand signaling for the other men to come out of hiding.

"Alright men stick with the plan; he hardly has any chakra left so there's no excuse for failing. You know the punishment for failing." Three of his subordinates gulped at the thought of their own deaths, while one was still quite unsure about the current situation.

"Umm sir?" one of the men started

"Yes?"

"I think it was a bad idea to split up with the other unit…"

"Why is that?" the captain asked with annoyed expression.

"Because I think are chances would have been better if we took on the shukaku and the kyuubi together. They may have low chakra, but they still could be a handful." He explained

"Quiet!" the man yelled. "We won't fail, as long as you do as I say!"

"Yes sir… my apologies…" he jumped.

Before they commenced with their attack, Naruto decided to speak up. Like Gaara, he wanted to avoid killing shinobi from his own village. "You guys should leave, I don't want to fight you!" the blonde shouted from across the field. If possible he wanted to avoid any unnecessary battles.

The Squad leader laughed at his request. "Sorry Nine-tails, but we have a job to do…" he replied mockingly. Now that all the other bullshit was out the way he was ready to begin. Raising his hands the man started to perform several hand signs. The earth underneath the blonde began to shake. Before he could move the ground underneath him shattered. He plummeted downward into the miniature pit. "Now!" he shouted.

On his command the two leaf subordinates dashed toward the miniature pit. The two of them stood on opposite sides of the hole. Next they went through a series of hand signs. **"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" **were the words they said before releasing long stream of fire from their mouths. As soon as they started the Suna assassins came up from behind them to prepare for a collaboration ninjutsu. Their jutsu didn't require hand signs so as soon as they got to the hole they began. A stream of air came out of their mouths and went into the pit of fire causing the flames to spark up even higher. Wind and fire natural worked well together, so the surprise wasn't at all surprising.

This attack went on for about thirty seconds, until they finally decided it was enough. Staring down at the pit of flames there was no way anyone could survive that. Not even a ninja of Naruto's level, but still that could have been a clone so the squad leader kept his eyes peeled. So far he didn't see or sense anyone else. After a while he was convinced that Naruto was burnt to a crisp. While he was sure Naruto was dead, his men started voicing their own opinions.

"Do you think he's dead?" A Suna ninja asked.

"Of course he is! That brat's toast." One of the leaf shinobi chimed in.

"I think he's right no one could survive such intense heat."

"Well in any case were going to have to drag his body out once the flames settle."

The four men were about to turn around and leave with something shot of the fire. Emerging from the scorching flames was a golden figure. Obviously it was Naruto but he looked completely different. He now had a chakra shroud that was releasing flickering flames. Instead of ocean blue, his eyes were now orange.

Hovering in the air above, the golden genin looked down at the assassins. The four of them were in a formation surrounding the fire. _I can't stay like this long… I gotta finish this quickly._ Naruto started to create multiple blue spheres using his chakra shroud arms. They were actually a bit smaller than usual. Once the balls were complete he launched them towards their targets. "**Rasengan Riot!" **He yelled. All four arms hit their targets directly in the abdomen launching all four of them away from their original positions. Their Anbu flak jackets had a stomach hole and there abdomens were burnt.

Naruto then landed hard on the ground with little grace, which was how he usually did things. He looked up at the squad captain. His eyes were full of anger. Instantly he disappeared in a yellow flash and then reappeared right in front of him. Without giving him any time to react, he launched a devastating blow to the man's ribcage.

"GUAAAHHH!" he grunted in pain before falling to his knees. Know hunched over with his hands on his sides._ What incredible speed… I didn't even see him coming. _The pain was so excruciating, he was forced to remove his porcelain bear mask. As soon as it was off his face he began to cough up blood.

"Who the hell are you guys?" He asked. The fight was over, that last attack left him indisposed. He didn't have a chance in hell of defeating him in his current state. "And why are you targeting us?"

"I'm… Not telling…You shit" he managed to get out.

Annoyed by his stubbornness, Naruto sighed while rolling his crimson eyes. Since the man was defeated he deactivated the Kyuubi mode, so he wouldn't lose any more chakra. He decided it was a waste of time trying to get him to talk. _Well I might as well go look for Gaara. _Slowly he walked by the defeated Anbu agent and started pacing across the field. Before he could get too far, he sensed a flying projectile heading towards him. _He doesn't know when to give up_. Using his sharp reflexes he pulled a kunai out from his sleeve to block it but instead a wave of sand swatted it towards the ground.

Suddenly a large amount of sand sprung up from beneath the earth. The sand then encased the man, completely restricting his movements. "What the hell is this?" He shouted. The sand wrapped around his mouth shutting him up while only leaving his eyes and nose visible.

Emerging from the woods was a trail of sand blowing through the wind. The grains of sand appeared in front of Naruto and began to take human form. Once the sand completely took form, it revealed a red headed teen. "Gaara…"

"Naruto…"The Kazekage looked at him for a brief moment than turned his attention toward the assassin he had just trapped in his chakra fused sand. _Is he the only one left? _He wondered before turning around to survey the rest of the plain. The first thing he noticed was the small pit of fire which raised a few questions. Next his eyes went to the 4 unconscious men that were scattered around the area. _They're alive but at least they're out of commission_. He turned once again to face his fellow jinchuriki. "It seems you've finished up here."

The blonde smiled while scratching his head "I told you I'd take care of it. Since you're here I'm guessing you finished the other squad."

"Yes" He replied with a blank expression.

"Well I guess we could head back now." Naruto said with a foxy grin.

"Not yet…" He responded. "There is still one more thing that I need to take care of before we go," The young leader turned to glare at the quiet forest in front of them. It was like he was waiting for something to happen.

Naruto also turned to gaze at the quiet forest, but didn't see anything. "What are we supposed to be seeing?"

Gaara's only answer was "Watch…"

This time Naruto didn't have to look, he can already tell something was heading straight for them he could feel it. _There is definitely something heading straight for us. The question is what? _If Naruto had the kyuubi mode activate or even sage mode for that matter he would have been noticed there approach. It's strange I didn't even sense Gaara's presence_. Damn! I must be extremely exhausted for me not to notice._ Still that didn't mean he was going to surrender. He would fight until there wasn't a breath left in his body. Still panting Naruto stood his ground and got in his usual battle stance. "I don't know whose coming… and I don't care! There's no way… I'm going down without a fight!" On his face was a determined expression.

At the sound of his declaration, Gaara turned to look at his fellow jinchuriki. He had obvious bruises and small burn marks on his arms. He was also panting uncontrollably_. He's still determined to fight in that condition?_ He raised an invisible eyebrow. _Naruto Uzumaki, you haven't changed at all. _The Kazekage smiled at his friend's determination. "Naruto there's no need for you to fight. You've done enough... let me handle this…"

Still panting from exhaustion, the 16 year old genin gazed back it his friend with narrowed eyes. "Gaara you're crazy if you think I'm going to stand by and watch you fight!" The tone of his voice went up a few levels. "Don't let my appearance fool you; I haven't reached my limit yet!"

"Naruto if you don't take a breather now you're going to die." Gaara told him without hesitating. His determination was indeed admirable but if he lost any more chakra, he would certainly die. Gaara was almost out of chakra as well, but he still had more than Naruto. Also he had better chakra control so it would be a smaller risk if he took care of it. "Just stay back, I'll finish this..."

At this moment, he was in no condition to argue. He had his pride, so he hated the idea of sitting back and letting his comrades fight while he did nothing. Still Gaara had a point; in his current condition he'd be lucky to create a shadow clone or maybe two at best. Sighing in defeat the blonde turned to his friend. "Alright fine… I guess I have no choice. But next time we're in a situation like this, I get to have the fun."

"Agreed." Gaara nodded his head before refocusing on the forest up ahead.

The lush green bushes started swaying back in forth. Suddenly a strong gust of leaves came out of the forest and onto the open plain. The leaves swirled around in a small tornado for several seconds before coming to a halt. Wind the tornado was completely gone, a tall lanky man wearing a black cloak and a rabbit mask. From the style of his body flicker technique you can tell he's from the leaf. He looked at the two young men across the field. Immediately he recognized them both as the jinchuriki they had been looking for. _Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara of the desert, they're together perfect... _He smiled devilishly under his mask. There obviously worn out from all the battles they took part in, with their chakra reserves they don't have a chance in hell. But even though he had the upper hand he wanted to make this as swift as possible. "Naruto, Gaara you two should just surrender. It will make things much easier if you do."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and growled at the masked man's request. "Go to hell you bastard!" He was infuriated by the man's arrogance. "There's no way in hell we're giving up! So you shouldn't waste time trying to convince us." The young sage wasn't going to quit, there was too much at stake. The fate of the world depended on the outcome of this war. If he quit now, he would be failing everyone.

Yes it's true that he was low on chakra. In such a short time, he had already fought some of the world's strongest shinobi, like the Third Raikage for example. The resurrected kage was arguably the strongest ninja he had ever had the pleasure of fighting. That one battle had taken a lot out of him, not to mention the other ones. _We can't quit there are far too many people counting on us. _Looking to his right, he gazed at his red headed friend. He stood there quietly observing their opponent._ Gaara said he could handle it alone, but he has to be just as exhausted as I am. _Gaara's face looked extremely focused, in the last thirty seconds he probably only blinked once.

"Come on you might as well surrender; you're going to die either way." The ANBU captain laughed menacingly. "If you accept death, than you will be saving the shinobi world from destruction.

As horrible as it sounded it was true. With the Shukaku, Kyuubi, and Hachibi eliminated the eye of the moon plan would fail. Though this was a fact, the five great nations had decided to take other courses of action. The plan was to put Killer B and Naruto in hiding. Gaara on the other hand didn't go, since he was a kage and a commander, he needed to be present on the battlefield.

Staring at the talkative ANBU agent, Gaara finally decided to speak. "So your plan is to kill us so Madara's eye of the moon plan won't come to fruition?" His facial expression remained calm and complacent. The masked man silence gave him his answer. Narrowing his eyes the red head replied, "Well then if you wish to take our lives...Come…"

"Oh I intend to." He responded. "We already have another unit chasing Killer Bee." His voice was full of arrogance. There was no doubt in his mind that he was in complete control. "It's only a matter of time before the Hachibi is caught, and eliminated."

When he mentioned killer Bee Naruto growled, but decided to remain quiet _._Getting upset wouldn't make things better._ Fuck there after Bee to! Who the hell do these guys work for? _Over the short time he spent with the rapping cloud ninja, the older man had become somewhat of a mentor to him. The only thing he could do is have faith in the rapping ninja. _There's no way he'll lose! Not to these losers…_

"With that being said, I think it's about time we wrap things up here." He raised his right arm in the air and then flicked his wrist. Immediately 50 masked shinobi emerged from the forest and onto the clearing. These assassins dressed different than ones they had fought before. All of them wore the traditional black and grey armor, with metal arms guards and gloves. One thing that was different was that these ANBU didn't have the spiral tattoo on their shoulders. Instead each of them had a symbol of one of the five shinobi villages. They were evenly divided; ten were ten ninja from each village.

"Who the hell are they?" Naruto shouted in frustration. It was driving him crazy; someone was pulling the strings but the question was who. Naruto was still pretty dense, but he is a lot smarter than he used to be. From the time they were targeted something didn't sit right. "And how were they able to find us?"

Gaara's eye's shifted back to Naruto. "I'm not sure. But one thing is certain these assassins aren't ordinary ANBU agents." That much was obvious to the Kazekage. _Naruto raised a good point, how were they able to find us. _Suddenly he heard a loud muffling noise. He shifted his eyes to the right to see the large man encased in his sand coffin. The captured ANBU agent was trying his best to break free but to no avail.

Naruto tilted his head dumbly. "I think he's trying to tell us something."

Gaara immediately removed the sand from around the man's mouth. Once the sand was removed, he started spitting out some the small rock minerals. He had to breathe through his nose the whole time, so his breathing was now fluctuating. "I-I.. thought... I was a dead man…" He panted.

When Naruto heard him say that, a foxy grin appeared on his face. "You will be dead if you don't tell us what we want to know." Naruto would never take the life of somebody just because they wouldn't talk, but that didn't mean he wasn't above making idle threats. "If you give us some info on the people you work for, will let you live, hell will even let you escape." He smirked as he patted the shell of sand.

The squad leader shifted his attention to the miniature army that stood directly across the plain. They stood there in aligned formation_._ Their masked leader just gave them the signal to attack._ Even if they manage to kill these two brats, they'll just kill me afterwards for failing the mission and revealing my identity. _He was definitely in a tight spot that much was true. He shifted his eyes back to the two jinchuriki. There was no way he could fully trust them to keep their word. One of them was a former village idiot, while the other one used to be psychopath. Things were looking bleak for the leaf ANBU agent.

"What's it going to be?" Gaara whispered. "If you don't talk, you will perish here with your comrades." Naruto might have been bluffing, but the one-tailed jinchuriki was serious. If that man didn't talk he would end his life without hesitation. He's a shinobi from the sand and there a lot more ruthless in battle than the hidden leaf. The only reason he didn't kill him earlier is because they needed some source of information. Growing impatient Gaara started to close his hand, causing the sand to compress.

The man winced as he felt the sand squeeze the life out of him. Grunting he responded, "Fine I'll tell you everything I know!" He hung his head in defeat. There was no other way; this was his only chance for survival. _Damn brats!_

Gaara watched as the assassins stampeded toward them with their weapons. Many of them had the usual sword while some of the others were planning to use their jutsu. "Good choice." He responded. The chakra fused sand that was confining him dropped.

As soon as he was released he fell to the ground. Apparently his body was still weak from Naruto's attack. Not to mention the fact that he was encased in a tight shell of sand for five minutes. "Naruto I don't think he can walk…"

"Say no more!" Naruto picked up the injured man and drug him away from the charging shinobi. He already had a feeling of what technique his friend was going to use and if he was correct, they needed to be several feet behind him.

Now the charging shinobi were within twenty yards of the two jinchuriki. Which was perfect, because now it was far too late for them escape. Instantaneously, Gaara flashed through several hand signs. The sand from his ground leaked out and tunneled into the earth. He grinded the rocks and minerals that were in the ground, than mixed it with his own sand. The red head slowly started to pant, as the huge wave of sand arose from the ground**. "Sand Tsunami!" **He shouted as the wave of sand kept rising. Eventually it was about 80 feet in the air, completely towering over the assassins.

Immediately they turned around so they could retreat into the forest, but it was too late. The masked ninjas got a good ten feet away from the wave before it came crashing down swallowing them and everything else in its path. The wave extended all the way back to the forest where the captain of the group was trying to escape. He tried his best to outrun the tidal wave, but the sand kept chasing him. _I can't believe that desert rat still has enough chakra to pull off a jutsu like that._ As he ran the man accidently slipped on a twig in the ground, which caused him to also be engulfed by the sand. "Oh shit!" he screamed before being swallowed up by the tidal wave.

The tidal wave extended about 60 yards into the forest before it finally came to a halt. The whole field was covered in sand including a small portion of the forest. Gaara had completely changed the landscape into a miniature desert. Naruto was actually surprised that he had this much chakra left. _Well I guess I was right to leave it in his hands. _The blonde smiled before walking over to his friend who was now on one knee and panting for air. When he got to him he placed his hand on his shoulder. "Take it easy Gaara, it's over now..."

"No not yet" he replied before putting his other knee on the sandy surface. Ready to deliver the final blow, he slammed his hands into the ground**. "Giant Sand Burial!" **He yelled, his deep voice echoed throughout the region. Powerful shockwaves were created which compressed the sand while crushing anything that was beneath it. Naruto started stumbling as the earth shook violently. Once the ground stopped shaking, the red head sighed in relief. "Now it's over…"

Naruto smirked at his exhausted friend before kneeling down to help him up. He lifted his arm and threw it over his own shoulder. In return the red head did the same for him, sensing that he was also struggling to stand. They stood up and turned around to walk in the opposite direction. The duo trotted over to the injured man who was currently lying on his back. Both of them were panting, but Naruto was breathing better than Gaara was. Stopping right in front of the injured root officer, they gazed down at him expectantly "Alright… You… Jackass...Cough up that information." The knucklehead demanded, while panting between breaths.

The large muscular man gazed at the sky peacefully, while thinking. _Should I really tell them the secrets of our organization? How do I know that these brats will keep their word?_ He wondered as he brought his eyes downward to look at the two teenagers. Both of them had reached their limit. They were completely exhausted, which is understandable considering the skill level of the shinobi they fought before being ambushed by him and the other squad. The red head needs a breather and the blonde is also drained. This would be the perfect opportunity for him to kill them, but then again the last thing he wanted to do was underestimate them. His comrades had just done that and they suffered a horrible fate. The best thing to do in this situation was play it safe. "Okay." He sat up and stared at the two with a devilish smirk. "What do you two brats want to Know?"

Naruto responded with a smirk of his own. "We want to know who you are and who you bastards work for."

Nodding his head in understanding, the leaf shinobi began to talk. "First off my Anbu name is Katsumi and the name of our organization is Root…"

Naruto and Gaara's eyes immediately shot open at the sound of the name. "Hold on how is that even possible?" Naruto shouted loudly. "Sasuke killed Danzo not too long ago!"

The man laughed manically at how naïve the village hero was. "Ha-ha kid that doesn't mean shit. There's always someone who comes along to replace the dead." Which was true, these kind of things happened all the time. When the Third Hokage passed away, one of his students took his place. Tsunade Senju was obviously the one who assumed the position of Hokage. This situation was no different.

"True… So who replaced Danzo?" Gaara asked inquisitively. "I can only imagine the leaders of the foundation would appoint someone he trusted and shared the same political views." There's no way it could be someone outside of the organization who took his place.

"That's one thing that I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. Then he scratched the back of his head to get the remaining sand out of his hair. His thick fingers roughly scratched through the surface of his scalp.

Instead of pressing the topic, Gaara decided to move onto his next question. "Explain something else to us." He started. "Why are the other four hidden villages involved with the foundation? And how long has this been going on?" It was a good question since Root was founded by Danzo. For years that organization has only operated in konoha, so it didn't make since to see them operating outside of the leaf.

"Simple… The new leader decided to reach out to some of the elders in the other four hidden villages several weeks ago. They then recruited young shinobi from their respective villages, which had mutual feelings on the topic of jinchuriki." Katsumi calmly stated while dusting off his flak jacket. "There are always old fools with backwards thinking in every ninja village." The man chuckled to himself.

"You should know this better than anyone Gaara." He stared at the red head with amusement. "I know the elders from the Sand have been trying to get rid of you for years." This was the only thing he could think of to make these two give up on living a normal life, by making them go back to their old ways. He was a sick twisted bastard indeed, but that's how most members of the foundation were.

The Kazekage didn't respond to his statement. He just stood there quietly and contemplated everything he had just heard. _After all these years, there are still people in the sand who want me dead? I guess things will never change. _Gaara was use to the villagers ostracizing him, so it was nothing new. But like the man said he thought he had proved himself to everyone in the village including the elders. He's the one who saved them from Deidara's explosive clay which had the power to eradicate the entire village in an instant. He used his air sand protective wall to shield the village from the akatsuki member's C3 explosion. The defensive ninjutsu he used required sand that rich with minerals and a lot of chakra. With that being said he had use a lot of energy to create the shield, which ultimately caused him to pass out from exhaustion. In the end the village was saved, but he was captured by the bomb expert. If team guy hadn't a shown up and rescued him he would have been dead for sure. _Did the elders on the council even bother to send out a rescue team after me?_ Negative thoughts were starting to enter his mind, but he managed to push them aside. _I'm over thinking this; I shouldn't even be listening to this._

Noticing the young teen was thinking the jerk decided to add fuel to the fire. "I can't imagine how you feel after all these years you finally won over the villagers. It must hurt to find out that there are people around you who still see you as a bad experiment." The evil grin on his face grew even wider. _I_ _Might not be able to kill these brats, but I can corrupt their minds a little bit. "_It's wrong isn't it? After all you've done to make amends and this is what you get in return…"

Naruto eyebrow quirked up as he listened closely to everything the bastard said. _What the hell is this asshole trying to pull?_ He glared at the man currently sitting Indian style on the soft sand. This 'Katsumi' already had a face that couldn't be trusted, that alone was enough to raise suspicion.

When the ANBU agent felt cold eyes on him he turned his attention to the blue eyed blonde who was glaring daggers at him. "What about you Naruto Uzumaki? You're supposed to be the hero of our village, but there are still a many citizens who despise you. That's why they sent a no good bastard like me to get rid of you." Katsumi loved the anger he saw in Naruto's eyes, even if it was aimed toward him. "They'll never be able to except you for who you are which is unfair; it's not your fault that the monster that took the lives of their loved ones dwells inside you." Amused the large man shook his head to add affect. "Somewhere deep inside your conscious, you have doubts about their trust in you. Am I right?"

Gazing at him with narrowed eyed Naruto responded. "I don't know what kind of mind games you're trying to play on us, but it's not going to work so you should quit now." There was no way in hell he was going to stand there listen to this crap. In a flash, he unhooked his arm that was around Gaara's neck and dashed toward Katsumi. He punched him square in the jaw causing the man to fall back on the grit. Katsumi groaned as his jaw began to throb. Breathing hard, the blonde looked down at the pitiful man. "You don't know crap about the life of a jinchuriki, so don't act like you do!"

Now that he was able to stand on his own the Kazekage started pacing toward the angry genin. "Stay calm Naruto, getting worked up right now will do you no good." Gaara warned him. He slowly turned his head back to the man on the ground. "Thank you for your cooperation." The red head bowed his head in appreciation. The ANBU agent didn't respond so he was most likely unconscious. Nonetheless the red head was grateful. Even though this man was scum, he still gave them some important information that will help them get to the bottom of things once the war is over. "We should probably keep moving."

"Your right." Naruto nodded his head as he gave the unconscious man one more glance before turning around to face his friend. Nonchalantly he put his hands on the back of his head and smiled. "So… Which way do we go?"

Gaara remained quiet for several seconds before he pointed straight ahead. Naruto looked up to see large trees, vines, and plenty of vegetation. The area was so quiet you could hear the crickets chirping. He hung his head low in disappointment. "Damn it… another forest."

"I'm afraid so…" Gaara calmly replied.

"But why? Shouldn't we be heading back to help the others?" Which was true, their main objective was to finish off the root officers, and then return to the battlefield.

"Your right but in our current state, we would be no help to our comrades." Gaara responded. In their condition they wouldn't even be able to protect themselves; let alone their teammates.

Even after his explanation, Naruto still seemed to be a little bit confused. "Uhh… Yeah I understand that part, but why the hell do we have to enter this creepy ass forest?"

Sighing in agitation, the Kazekage elaborated further so he would have a better understanding. "The reason is simple. We need to replenish our chakra." Gaara explained while gazing at the quiet region.

"Oh I get you, so we need to find some fruits and vegetables to eat." He replied casually.

Gaara silently nodded his head in agreement. _Well he's a lot smarter than he was when we first met, that's good to know._ He thought with a faint smile. As loud and obnoxious as Naruto is, he's still glad to be his friend.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Naruto started pacing north towards the forest entrance. A huge grin was evident on his whiskered face.

Silently the Kazekage followed the hyperactive blonde into the mysterious forest. As they walked on the soft soil, the hyperactive ninja felt something. Naruto who was walking in front turned around to look at his friend. He didn't need to say anything to the red head he just stared at him with a serious expression. It was basically like telepathy. _There's someone watching us. _The blonde thought. Gaara gave Naruto a nod.

_Let's keep moving, will handle it later._ The Kazekage walked quickly to catch up with his friend. Once they were standing side by side they quietly entered the woods.

The dark figure watched them from across the sandy plain. "Interesting… there entering the forbidden forest." The man stood behind an oak tree and watched the duo embark into the dangerous place. "I really don't want to go in there, but I have no choice." The masked man grinded his sharp teeth in frustration, over the years there have been stories of people who enter that jungle and never return. "I'll kill both of them and drag their bodies back to headquarters!" He then scurried across the miniature desert in pursuit of the jinchuriki.

**To be continued…**

**Well I know this was a long first chapter, but I hope it was worth it. I know the battle scenes probably weren't as good as they should have been, but I'll get better at it with time. I hope I get good feedback because I got a lot of plans for this story, but there is no point in continuing if no one's reading it. Leave a review and tell me what you think about it so far.**


	2. Chapter 2: Chain of Events

Well this is chapter 2 and it's even longer than the first. Just so everyone's clear, the future chapters for this story won't be this long. In the first chapter someone name nobody pointed out something about Gaara and the Shukaku. I would message you and explain it, but you don't have an account so I'll just explain it here. Yes I'm very aware, about the akatsuki extracting the shukaku from Gaara's body. In this story Team guy intercepted the akatsuki, before he could be taken to their hideout, thus saving him from certain death. Yes I do watch the anime and I do keep up with the Manga. So I hope I cleared that up. Again, forgive me if there are any punctual errors. Well that's all I wanted to say, now here's the story! R&R

**Chapter 2: Chain of Events**

"Alright class! I want you to open up your text books and turn to page 18!" Ms. Nekonome cheerfully said. Just by the sound of her voice, you can tell she was excited about the new school year. She enjoyed her summer break, but there's nothing she loves more than teaching her students. Well teaching and eating fish.

"We are going to be reading the tragic love story of Tristan and Isolde." The cat girl adjusted her glasses so they would sit comfortably on the bridge of her nose. "Two humans from different countries who had fallen in love, but they committed adultery in the process." She read from the story's summary on page 17. "Isolde of Ireland was the daughter of the king of Ireland. She was betrothed to King Mark, who happened to be the king of Cornwall. King Mark sent his nephew, Tristan, to Ireland to escort Isolde back to their country." Ms. Nekonome continued reading the small summary for several more seconds. Once she was done she looked up at her class and she was happy to see that almost everyone was paying attention. "Okay you guys, who wants to read!"

She took a second to look around the class for any raised hands. It seemed like nobody wanted to volunteer, so she was going to select a student of her choosing to read the first paragraph. Before she could pick a reader a brown haired boy raised his hand. "Ah, go ahead and read the first paragraph."

"Uh no Ms. Nekonome, it's not that." The boy started. "Your… tail is out again." he said nervously. Every year she would tell her students not to reveal their monster identities. But she would always slip up and unknowingly let her tail out.

"Meow!" The cat woman cheeks were bright red. She was really embarrassed about once again breaking the school rules.

Everybody seemed to be focused on the class assignment, excluding the four girls in the back row to the far right. Their minds were preoccupied with the whereabouts of their precious Tsukune Aono. They were already 45 minutes into the first period and he still hadn't shown up yet. It wasn't like him to be late; he has always been a punctual guy. The only logical explanation is that he decided not to come back. Maybe he got comfortable and decided to stay in the human world. No, that couldn't be it; Ms. Nekonome had called his name during roll call. There was the possibility that he got attacked on his way to school. It would make since considering the fact that Tsukune has four beautiful girls following him around all day. Many of the male students are jealous of him because of that, so it is possible. All these possibilities kept popping up in their head, which was starting to drive them all crazy, some more than others.

"Damn it I can't take this anymore." Kurumu whispered to Yukari. The busty succubus was really starting to worry. The whole period she had been thinking about Tsukune. "I think we should go look for him once first period is over."

Pretending like she was reading, the young witch had her head buried in the text book, but her eyes were shifted to the right where Kurumu was sitting. "I don't think that's a good idea." Yukari said. "Today's the first day of school, so security's going to be pretty tight." She may have been the youngest student at the school, but she was still the smartest.

With her eyes glued to the text book, Kurumu sighed in frustration. "Well we have to do something; we can't just sit here, Tsukune might need our help."

Sucking on her lollipop while flipping to the next page, Mizore caught wind of their discussion. "The tramp is right, we need to take action." She stated calmly.

"Well what do you guys suppose we do?" Yukari asked while writing in her journal, giving the impression that she was taking notes.

The snow woman fixed her purple strands. "It's simple... we freeze them."

"Are you crazy ice queen?" Kurumu's tone went up a volume. After everything that went down last year the school staff was definitely keeping a close eye on the newspaper club. So they didn't need to draw any unneeded attention to themselves. "Are you trying to get suspended?"

Narrowing her eyebrows, Mizore turned around to face her rival. "Do you have a better idea?" Just like the other girls in their group she'd do anything for Tsukune and that includes freezing someone.

"Of course I do." The blue haired girl smirked at the snow woman. "I'll use my love charm to distract the security guards, while you guys sneak past the gate." Kurumu made it sound simple, but the truth was she wanted an excuse to use her succubus powers. It had been a while since she had used her love charm and she wanted to make sure nothing's changed.

Mizore shook her head in disgust. "You're a skank with no shame, you know that?"

"What did you just call me? You stalker freak!" Her voice accidently went up a few levels causing the other students to look back at them.

Ms. Nekonome was a nice teacher, she didn't believe in yelling at her students. Nonetheless she is a teacher and she had to keep her students in line. "Kurumu… Mizore… pay attention." She gave the girls a serious look before she told the student they interrupted to continue reading.

"Yes ma'am." They replied simultaneously, before returning to their books.

Sighing at their actions, Yukari shook her head in disapproval. _I'm 12 years old and I act more mature than those two. _Brushing that aside, she turned her attention to the most popular girl in their group. Moka Akashiya was gazing out of glass window. Her mind was miles away from class work. From where she sat she had a perfect view of the school entrance. Ever since class started her eyes were focused on what was on the other side of the glass window. _Wow Moka's taking his absence pretty bad_. Yukari was also worried, but she wasn't one who jumped to conclusions. Well at least not quickly.

Gazing out of the foggy window, Moka awaited the arrival of her closest friend. She had been getting a bad feeling ever since class started. Like something was wrong or out of place. Maybe she was just imagining things; she was probably getting herself worked up for nothing. She knew he didn't ditch them to go to school in the human world. The only possible explanation was that there was something delaying his arrival. _Maybe he just woke up late_. She told herself. _Yes that has to be what's taking him so long. _But then again Tsukune was rarely late for anything and the thought of him being tardy for the first day of school was highly doubtful. Still she wasn't going to think negatively because that wouldn't do her any good. _He'll show up soon, I just have to be patient. _She smiled, now she was beginning to think positively. Before she could get comfortable, her stomach began to growl. She put the palm of her hand on her abdomen to feel the small vibrations. Yep she was hungry. _Aww… I hope Tsukune gets here before lunch, because I don't want to have to drink tomato juice! _

X-X-X-X-X-X

Far away in the human world, the Yokai bus was zooming down the highway. After an hour of searching, Tsukune and the bus driver had finally found someone who would lend them a hand. He was a nice elderly man who drove an old, blue, pickup truck. Tsukune could tell that he was a blue collar man just by looking at his bruised calloused hands. It only took about 15 minutes for the battery to charge completely. Once it was completelycharged, Tsukune had thanked the friendly old man and then boarded the bus. Now they were back on the road and heading straight for the tunnel that would lead them to world of the monsters.

"Hey kid!" the bus driver shouted from the front of the vehicle.

"Uhh yes…" he replied

"I want to say thank you for your help, I appreciate it." The creepy man gratefully said. There was no way he was going to be able to flag down a car on his own.

Tsukune smiled while rubbing the back of his head. "Oh there's no need to thank me." He replied modestly. "If I hadn't helped, we would have been stuck there forever." The young man chuckled.

The older man also laughed but his was a little bit sinister, which kind of creped him out. "Still I'm grateful." He said while making a right turn. "Anyways we should reach the tunnel in about 35 minutes."

_35 minutes… that's' good I should be able to make it before lunch begins. _He thought to himself, as he began to gaze out the side window. Once again he started to daydream about the upcoming school year. He was glad that he was going to be reuniting with all of his friends. It had only been a few weeks since he'd last seen them, but somehow it felt so much longer than that. _But like the driver said, I'd better keep my eyes open because after everything that took place last year, nothing would surprise me. _Last year the Tsukune and the rest of the newspaper club took on the security committee. The end result was a battle between the two groups on campus. The security committee was easily defeated, except for their leader Kuyou, who was just as strong if not stronger than a vampire. Kuyou had chased Tsukune and the others who escaped. As soon as he had caught up with him he launched a fireball at Tsukune, putting him in critical condition. In hope of saving his life, Moka injected some of her vampire blood into his blood stream. After that he changed into his monster form, which is a fox demon, he attacked all the members of the newspaper club. Gin and Moka both struggled against him and there both S Class monsters. Surprisingly enough it was Tsukune who defeated the kitsune. The vampire blood that was flowing through him caused him to temporarily take a vampire-ghoul hybrid form_. With everything that transpired last year, there could be someone else out there is targeting the newspaper club. That being said I'm going to have to be ready for anything. _

* * *

><p>Resting on a huge stone near a river bank was a dark skin muscular man holding a huge sword with blue scales. On his face were oval shaped sunglasses. He also wore a white Kumo forehead protector. He held onto the hilt of the sword with his right hand and with his left, he ran his thick fingers through his goatee. Apparently he was thinking. About what, who knows? He could be thinking about the hokage's large breast. Or maybe he was he was thinking about a new rhyme. Then again… it could be the dead Anbu agents scattered along the mountainside.<p>

"**B… What are you doing sitting? You shouldn't be lounging around; we need to return to the battlefield." **The Hachibi stated from within bee's psyche. **"Those two leaf shinobi Kakashi and Guy, Won't be able to hold off Madara and the other Biju forever." **

"Yo! Shut up eight tails! I'm a take a break down by the lake." Killer b said while reclining his back on the smooth rock. "Yo those punk ass mask ninja we're tough, yeah." No less than 15 minutes ago, he was attacked by a small unit of Anbu agents. He had beaten them with little to no effort, which wasn't surprising. As soon as he had gotten rid of them, twenty more of showed up. The good thing was that he used Samehada so he didn't have to expend too much chakra.

"**There's no time for your lame rhymes you idiot. We still need to find Naruto!"** The ox yelled, its deep voice boomed inside of B's subconscious. **"Don't you remember? They're after the Jinchuriki,"** He said. The tailed beast was very aware of the situation they were in. The eight tails was a smart and observant creature, unlike b who acts on impulse like Naruto. An example of this is when he stopped b from killing the last assassin. He told the rapping ninja to get some info out of him first. At first he didn't want to talk but after 5 minutes of torture using the shark blade, he finally gave in. "**There's a good chance they've already attacked him and the Kazekage."**

Those words seemed to get his attention, judging by his changed facial expression. Naruto and b had split up nearly two hours ago. Anything could have happened, but Naruto was strong and so is the Kazekage. "Aye… Yo they be aight, jinchuriki the best we never lose a fight! Yeah." He said while sitting up. _Damn I guess it's time to go back,_ he sighed while standing up and grabbing Samehada. "Yo eight tails we gonna go back to help those leaf shinobi."

"**Hmm… are you sure you don't want to go help Naruto?" **The ox asked once more.

"Yo Naruto's could beat those bitch ass ninja any day," The rapping ninja smirked while confidently beating his chest. He had seen the blonde's raw determination so he knows what he's capable of. Even though he'd never met the Kazekage, his brother told him he was one of the strongest shinobi in this era. With that being said, he strapped the massive blade onto his back. "Yo-Yo it's time to go! Yeah," He rapped while walking back east towards the battlegrounds.

"**Shut up you fool! You're annoying,"** the Hachibi yelled. He was becoming even more agitated with him by the second. **"Now hurry up… You're wasting time..." **

"Yo stop bitchin! I'm going I'm going…" Killer B sighed, before turning his casual walk into a full sprint.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Walking through the dark forest, the two jinchuriki surveyed the area for fruit and vegetation. It had been an hour now since they entered the forest, and they had found several edible items. They found a few flowers, some leaves, and a few pods. Bananas were the only fruits they came across. Naruto wasn't a big fan of fruit or vegetables, but he didn't have any choice in the matter.

Something that caught both of their attention was the forest inhabitance. There were hardly any animals. The only creatures they saw were a few birds. There were no tigers, snakes, squirrels or rabbits. But that didn't mean there was anything wrong with these woods. Eventually they came to the conclusion that most of the animals must have died out.

They had a replenished a decent amount of chakra. A rough estimate of the energy they regained had to be about 30 percent at most. It wasn't much, but they couldn't waste any more time looking for more. Their comrades needed there help, so they had to head back towards the battlefield.

Nevertheless they couldn't leave, there was still someone watching them.

"He's still out there… I could feel it." Naruto whispered to Gaara, as they ventured deeper and deeper into the forbidden forest.

"We're going have to get rid of him now, if we want to get back in time." Gaara responded with narrowed eyes. He was really frustrated; he could have sworn they had gotten rid of all those Root officers. When he used his sand tsunami, He had covered the whole valley in sand. No one could have possibly survived such a devastating attack, except for Kimimaro.

The blonde agreed with his friend, but he was still skeptical. "Yeah your right, but we don't have a lot of chakra left." Which was true, they hadn't even regained half of their chakra. "Are best shot at finishing this guy off is a surprise attack." Naruto stated plainly.

"My thoughts exactly," The Kazekage looked straight ahead to see if there was anything they could use in a surprise attack. Unfortunately the only thing the red head could see was a cavern. From his position it didn't seem all that welcoming. Still it was better than nothing. "Look up ahead." He said, while pointing to the underground passage.

Immediately the knuckled lifted his eyes off the ground and looked straight ahead. He squinted several times to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. "A cave… I think that will do just fine," He remarked with a relieved smile.

Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow at this, "So you have a plan?"

"Believe it! I told you last time, I call dibs on the next enemy we face," He stated. Naruto was aching for a fight after watching his friend take down 50 Anbu agents with just one jutsu. Even though he only had one opponent he figured it was better than nothing. "Just leave everything to me."

The duo stopped right in front of the huge opening before entering. There was something weird about the cave, but they couldn't put their finger on it. It looked just like any ordinary cavern, but the things they were sensing were very off putting. It was a very strange sensation; nonetheless they had to go in if they wanted to lure that bastard into a trap. But still there was no need to spend more time in this cave then necessary so they needed to take care of him fast. There was no time for spelunking. Quietly the two started walking into the underground passage. After about 10 seconds, they had completely disappeared into the darkness.

"Wow it's pretty dark in here." He whispered. His sandals made pattering sound every time he took a step. "But it's probably better this way." even if Naruto couldn't see his opponent clearly he could still sense them.

"Yes it is," Gaara responded while his eyes wondered around the cave. Like Naruto had stated earlier, it was pretty dark inside the underground structure. Even so, they were able to see good enough to walk around without tripping over themselves. Gaara walked on the right hand side while Naruto walked on the left. Since he couldn't see the structure clearly, he decided to place the palm of his hand on the wall's surface. The reason he did was so he could see what kind of rock the cave was formed by. There were several different kinds of forms that caves had. Some were made out of chalk, dolomite, marble, salt, and even gypsum. "It's made of limestone," he whispered to himself as he patted the hard surface. Limestone is a sedimentary rock made of hard minerals. It's perfect for Gaara to use his sand ninjutsu without expending too much chakra.

While they walked through a narrow passage way, Naruto accidently tripped over something hard causing him to stumble. "Oh crap!" He said while trying to regain his balance. Before he could fall Gaara grabbed him by his arm and pulled him back. The hyperactive ninja sighed in relief. "Thanks… I almost fell flat on my face," he scratched the back of his head in amusement of his clumsiness. _What the hell was that anyway? _He turned around and knelt down to feel the object that caused him to trip. He couldn't see so the only thing he could do was run his hand along the smooth surface. Suddenly his hands felt something hard and rigid. _It feels like… _His hands then went upward and he felt the same thing, the only difference were there were even more. Upon realization his blue orbs slowly widened in horror. "It's a skeleton!" Immediately he jumped back and pointed at the human bones.

Gaara narrowed his eyes in disbelief "A skeleton?"

"Y-Yeah…" He replied with goose bumps appearing on his skin. He wasn't scared as much as he was surprised. He had been a ninja for four years now and he had seen plenty of corpses, but never skeletons.

_We've only been in this cave for two minutes and we already found a skeleton. This cave… it's not normal that much I'm certain of. _"We should probably keep moving," Gaara said. The cave began to come more and more suspicious to him.

The two jinchuriki were now 120 meters deep into the cavern. As they approached a corner they saw a small glimmer of light. The sound of boiling water was also heard. "What the hell is that sound?" Naruto whispered as they made their way around the corner. Once they made their way around the corner, Naruto froze. "Whoa…" His blue eyes shot open in astonishment. In front of him was a small valley field with miniature craters. Each crater was a meter in width and length. Inside those holes was hot water that boiled at least 300 degrees Celsius. _Damn I would not want to fall in there. _He said while staring intensely at the tubes filled with simmering water. The water springs emitted a blue light making everything in the room more visible.

The red head gazed at the simmering liquid for a while. _Interesting I've never seen water of that temperature before._ He had been inside at least 5 caves in his short life and he had never come across a hot spring of such intense heat.

"Gaara Wait." Naruto whispered

"Hmm…" He stopped and slightly turned his head, so he was looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I think we should stop here," the blonde said while gazing at the field of steam pools.

Gaara gave him a questionable look. "Why do you wish to stop here?"

"We shouldn't go any deeper into this cave than we have to." Naruto was right; there was no need to spend their time wondering around in a creepy ass cave. "Besides this is the perfect place to ambush that bastard!"

"Are you sure?" He asked. It was Naruto's turn to take charge, but he didn't know if it was safe for them to battle in a field of hot springs.

"Trust me this place will work to our advantage." He claimed while sporting a confident smirk.

Gaara stared at the Kyuubi jinchuriki as he thought it over_. How could this work to our advantage? It's deadly to be around all this hot water one touch and our skin will be skewered. But then again those springs will serve as a problem to him as well. I think I understand why he chose this spot._ "Alright Naruto… What do you have in mind?"

The ninja quietly walked through the treacherous cave while keeping his eyes peeled. He had decided to wait few minutes after they entered, before following them. This cave was one of the main reasons the forest was forbidden. There had only been one shinobi to make out of here alive and he was the creator of the ninja world and the founder of ninjutsu. He was a Jonin level ninja, not to mention a member of the foundation, there was no way he could fail.

Only a few moments after he entered the cave a hidden door slowly started to descend from the top of the cave entrance. The door slammed down on the soil, causing a small quake. Using his reflexes the man turned around to see the nothing but darkness. "Damn it! I'm trapped inside." He muttered underneath his breath. His heart was beating rapidly; he couldn't deny that he was a little nervous. Well that must be one of the reasons why it is called the forbidden cave. _Still… Why didn't the cave door activate when those demon brats entered? _He raised an interesting point, nothing happened when Gaara and Naruto entered.

_Fuck I can't see anything. _The man dug deep into his pockets and pulled out a metal lighter. He used the lighter to help him see more clearly. Now he was capable of moving at a faster pace. The good thing about his lighter was the flame was big enough to guide him, but too small to have any effect on the bats that hung from the ceiling, which was a good thing because the ones hovering above were vampire bats. Vampire bats suck on blood so he had to be careful not to awaken them or he'd become lunch. He wasn't able to breathe easy until he was several yards away from the entrance and even then he did his best to remain quiet.

"Where are those demon brats?" Just like the jinchuriki he didn't want to stay in this cave any longer than he had to. However, unlike them he knew just how dangerous this cave was. If the rumors that he heard were true, them this cave had to be almost 3,000 years old. It is also said that the sage of six paths had ventured hear many years ago. He was the only one who ever made it out of the ancient cavern. Of course he was a legendary man, with the power of the Rinnegan. He was also the world's first jinchuriki and the beast that he sealed within himself was the ten-tails. After he journeyed through this underground space, no one else had entered and survived. Yes the man knew a lot about the forbidden cave, but there was still a lot that he did not know._ Rather I make it out alive or not isn't important. I have to make sure that those two perish. If I could the eye of the moon plan will be impossible to complete. _

The assassin passed through a narrow passageway that was filled with skeletons. The man gazed at all the bones that were scattered around the thin passage way. Obviously he wasn't the first person to be trapped inside this hazardous cave. Many of the skeletons still had on their clothes. Some of them were shinobi that much he could tell. All of the flak jackets he saw belonged to Kirigakure. _What was the hidden mist doing in here? _He pondered. Nonetheless he continued down the hallway, until he saw something blue illuminating. The light was reflecting on the end of the passageway. Slowly, the masked man paced toward the blue light.

When he turned the corner and walked into the opening he saw a valley of boiling water springs. Each one of them was at least three feet wide, how deep there is unknown. Upon entering the dangerous room filled with scolding water, His eyes inspecting every inch of the perimeter. He looked up at a small cliff in the room to see if anyone was up there. All he saw was a pile of rocks, which didn't seem suspect. Next he scanned the roof. There was nothing up there, not even bats_. I don't think there in here, I can't sense their presence. _As soon as he said that he stumbled upon a small pile of sand. "This is-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a flurry of kunai came hurling at him from the opposite direction, giving him little time to react. "Shit…" He jumped back just in time before they could make could make contact with him. The sharp blades missed him by a hair and got lodged in the ground. "Where did that come from?" his eyes shifted all around the vicinity for enemies. He looked up at the cliff and found the man responsible for that attack. At the top of the cliff there was a spikey haired blonde. The teenage boy had an arrogant smirk on his face. The assassin glared at the kyuubi jinchuriki. "Well I see you've been expecting me." His deep voice echoed throughout the room. "Nine tails..."

Naruto chuckled lightly before replying. "Well you bastards aren't that good at hiding your presence."

Instead of getting mad, he chose to ignore the insult. "Where's Gaara? I know he's around here somewhere." After seeing the pile of earth minerals, he knew the red head was nearby.

With the clueless expression he replied "Gaara? I don't know where he is." He placed his thumb underneath his chin, to give the impression that he was thinking. "Why don't you go look for him? I'm sure you'll find him sooner or later."

_So that's how you want to play it nine tails? _His eyes narrowed at the blonde. "Fine have it your way. I'll kill you first and then him," He stated while shifting his eyes back and forth. He knew Gaara was around here somewhere so he had to keep his eyes open for his sand.

Naruto narrowed his eyebrows before jumping down from the 25 foot cliff. Landing hard on the cave floor, he looked up at the man, his face full of intensity. He stood up straight, and pulled out a kunai. "You sure are confident, aren't you?"

"Why shouldn't I be?" He retorted. "You are a strong opponent, there's no hiding that." He stated as he pulled out two small summoning scrolls. "You may even be the strongest shinobi in your village." He smirked as he held up a sign to summon the objects in both scrolls. Smoke surrounded the area for several seconds. When it finally cleared it revealed two puppets with chakra strings attached to them. Both of them had red hair and wore long black robes. There was only one distinctive difference between the two puppets and that was the weapons they wielded. The one on the right had duel swords that were dosed in poison. Suna is famous for their poison, one cut from that blade and it will all be over. The other puppet was armed with duel pistols. But Naruto had no idea what would come out of them. "But at the end of the day, you're still a worthless freak. No amount of training will change that."

"Is that so?" he asked while staring at the dangerous marionettes. _It's going to be hard to get close to this guy. I should destroy one of his puppets to make things easier. _

With his mind made up Naruto charged toward him with the intent to get rid of his puppets. As he sprinted towards him, the puppeteer used his sword puppet to attack first. It sprung towards him with impressive speed. When it got close enough it swung at his head, but Naruto evaded it by jumping to the left. After he dodged it he continued to run straight for the masked man, but the puppet was hot on his tail. Once again the man used his sword puppet to take a swing at him. "Damn it!" Naruto stopped and pulled out a second kunai to block both blades. Luckily he was able to block them, but there was still the other puppet. Before he could turn around to face it, the doll shot long streams of fire at him. When the fire hit Naruto he disappeared in a puff of smoke. The fire also happened to come in contact with one of the hot springs causing it to erupt. Boiling water shot up towards the ceiling.

"A shadow clone I should've known." He shook his head in annoyance. "Now where is that little shit?"

Coming from behind were two Naruto's, one had his right hand out while the other had both his hands hovering over it and rotating. Instantly a blue sphere of energy was formed and the clone on the right dispersed. He got within five feet of the man and was ready thrust the ball into the man's body. Unfortunately for him the man sensed his approach and had already used his left hand to send the Sword puppet to aid him.

"Too slow…" The sword puppet whipped around him and sliced Naruto on his right shoulder before he could embed the blue sphere into the man's back. He fell to the floor and his Rasengan had defused. He turned around to face Naruto. Underneath his mask he smiled sadistically while looking down at the boy kneeling on the ground. He watched as the blonde held his injured shoulder and winced in pain.

"Looks like you're the original." He said mockingly. Even though he wasn't a threat no more he still needed to stay alert. He didn't drop his guard because he knew Gaara was around somewhere, so he kept shifting his eyes and back and forth_. Where is he? I know that freak is here, _he said while turning around to look at the large pile of chakra fused sand.

"You're a fool… for underestimating us."

The man turned around to see Naruto struggling to stand up. Both of legs started trembling uncontrollably. His breathing kept fluctuating, as he held onto his injured shoulder. The Suna ninja's eye's narrowed in frustration_. How the hell is this punk still standing? _

"Do you really think it's over?" Naruto said while gasping for air. "I'm… just … getting… started." He struggled to speak. The poison was slowly starting to spread, which was also consequently zapped his energy.

"Oh… really?" The Suna ninja asked with amused smile. "That poison is lethal, there's no hope for survival. You have three hours at best." He informed the injured jinchuriki.

Naruto chuckled, which resulted in him grunting in pain. He clenched the wounded area even tighter as he glared at his enemy. "In that case… I'll finish you before then!" He shouted before collapsing towards the ground.

"I see, so the rumors are true. The nine tails jinchuriki has an undying will." He said while stepping towards the dying boy who was hunched over coughing. "That's very admirable," he smirked. He raised his left hand. His fingers started to move, and so did the puppet swordsman. The puppet raised its wooden hand; you could clearly see the poison dripping off the blade. "For that I'll end your life now and relieve you of your pain."

Naruto didn't move his head was practically faced down in the dirt. There was no way he could even try to dodge the attack; the poison in his blood stream had caused him to go numb. He was completely vulnerable.

"Goodbye," The puppeteer said while moving his fingers. The puppet's swiftly brought down it's sword to pierce Naruto's heart. The blade came down at an alarming speed, but it came to a halt several inches away from the boy's chest. "What!" He tried to move the puppet again, but to no avail. "What the hell is wrong with it!" he screamed while shaking his chakra strings. When he did that, the puppet also shook causing small grains of sand come out the dolls joints. "Sand." He whispered. The Sand clogged its joints rendering it useless.

He heard snickering so he looked down to see Naruto giggling. His face only inches away from the dirt. Slowly, he lifted his self-off the ground, so he would be sitting up on his knees with a foxy grin he said "Hahaha… Gotcha!" He yelled before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"What the-" He trailed off when he felt something behind him. He turned around to see the blonde charging towards him with the same blue sphere in the palm of his hands. Naruto was within 15 feet so he still had a couple seconds to stop the attack. _Alright stay calm… You still have one puppet left. _He told himself while moving the fingers on his right hand. When he did this, the puppet gunman only moved a few inches. _Oh shit! Him too! _He cussed inwardly as small amounts of sand fell out of the dolls joints. Once he realized the puppet was now useless he turned to see Naruto right in front of him.

"**Rasengan!"** He screamed, before slamming the sphere into the man's stomach.

"Ahhhh!" He yelled as the ball of concentrated chakra dug into his abdomen. The swirling sphere launched the man about 25 feet away from his original position. He stopped flying through the air when his body came in contact with a wall. On impact a loud booming sound was heard throughout the room. The collision caused the room to quake temporarily.

Gaara had watched the whole thing from the cliff. He and Naruto used the transformation jutsu to take the form of a pile of rubble. Naruto used a shadow clone jutsu first, and then he added the transformation. Naruto had also transformed his shadow clones into rocks. The only thing he asked the red head to do was leave a pile of sand near one of the hot spring tubs. He knew it would raise suspicion. The whole thing was designed by the knucklehead.

But Gaara was the one who put the puppets out of commission. Since his older brother was also a puppet master, he knew their weaknesses inside and out. All he had to do was leak some of his special sand into the puppets joints, so when the assassin tried to use them they would move as slow as a turtle_._ _I have to admit I've never seen someone use shadow clones so cleverly_, he thought to himself. He had seen Naruto use his clones many times now, but watching the way he manipulated them never got old.

Now that they had defeated their enemy, they were able to leave the cave and return to the battlefield. Gaara used the body flicker technique to disappear. A second later he reappeared next to his jinchuriki counterpart.

"Ha! I didn't even have to use sage mode." "He smiled. Naruto swiped the palms of his hands together. "Well at least it's over" He sighed in relief. This time around he was pretty happy since he didn't have to expend too much chakra. He still had a decent amount, since he borrowed some from the kyuubi. He put his hands behind the back of his head in his usual stance. "You know… I didn't need your help back there."

"I know… but the sand has the deadliest poison so I didn't want to take a chance," He explained. In the end it was a wise decision, if one drop of it got it to his bloodstream he'd certainly die.

"Yeah… yeah… But you could have at least left the other puppet for me."

"Hmm I didn't think of that..." He said while walking towards the passageway that would lead them back to the cave entrance.

"W-What you didn't think of it! Hey don't you walk away from me!" The young sage shouted animatedly while jogging to catch up with the red head.

As they approached the exit, they heard something. "What was that?" Gaara asked.

"I don't know…" Naruto replied in confusion. Again they heard the sound, but this time it was easier to understand. It was the sound of a man groaning in pain. _He's still alive! _

The teenagers turned around to look at the settling debris. Interested in getting a few more answers the duo walked towards the injured man who was currently lying on his back. His mask was now off so his face now visible. Once they got close enough to study his features they came to a halt. The man appeared to be in his early thirties. He had chocolate brown hair and his face was shaved. He also had dark eyes and bronze skin. After Gaara had studied all the man's features his eyes went opened wide in astonishment upon realization of the man's identity. "Masanori?" he questioned.

The blonde squinted in confusion while turning to look at his friend. He may be strong, but at the end of the day he's still not the sharpest guy around. "Masa… what now?" He scratched the top of his head in confusion.

"Masanori" he repeated while staring at the man in disbelief. "He's one of the members of Sands council and he is also one of the few people I trusted back when I decided to aim for the title of Kazekage."

"G-Gaara…" he stuttered. He was dying so it was incredibly hard for him to speak. There was huge hole in his jacket from Rasengan he received. He also had a small crater in his abdomen. Masanori looked up at his village leader, who was staring back at him with a blank expression. Seeing that dumbstruck look on his face made him smirk. "That… was pretty impressive. The way… you… disabled my puppets."

Naruto still didn't know what was going on so he remained quiet. _So this guy is on Gaara's council?" _

"I'm s-surprised… At how strong… You've become…" He spoke softly, as he tried to stay conscious. "I never … imagined… you would surpass the fourth Kazekage."

"What are you saying?"

"I watched your fight… the one you had… with your father." He answered in a clearer voice. "He gave you the last of his gold dust, didn't he?"

"You were there?"

"How do you think we knew where to ambush you?" Masanori responded without gasping once during his explanation. He was able to muster up some strength. "We've been watching you…Naruto… and killer Bee ever since this war started. Every unit had the assignment of capturing one of you"

Finally things were starting to make sense. _The foundation was able to ambush us because they were posing. That's' why the first unit that had attacked us wore flak jackets. They were fighting alongside us the whole time. _Naruto balled his fist. He was angry with himself for not paying better attention.

"It all makes sense now… So you're one of the traitors" Gaara calmly stated while gazing at his former mentor. "If that's the case, than which elder asked you to join Root?"

After he mentioned the name of their organization, Masanori's eyes shot open. This was the first time his face showed any life since he'd collapsed on the floor. "So you know about that huh?" His dark eyes focused on the blue light on the ceiling. The Suna ninja had no attention of giving him an answer.

"So you're not going to tell me?" He questioned, using his deep monotone voice. Masanori didn't reply, he just continued gazing at the ceiling. "Very well, but answers me this…" The look on his emotionless face, changed to a one of disappointment. On the inside he was slightly hurt by his betrayal. But it wasn't the first time someone had stabbed him in the back, so the affect it had on him was minimal. Nonetheless the young leader was still curious. "Why?"

The assassin once again turned away from Gaara, and focused his brown orbs on the sharp rocks on the ceiling. This time he didn't make eye contact with him because of the emotions that were stirring up inside of him. The topic was something that he wanted to avoid, but since he was defeated the least he could do was give them explanation. Sighing in defeat, he opened his mouth to give him the answer. "Because… You killed Kazuki… My little brother"

Gaara's reaction was instantaneous; his green eyes shot open in surprise. "What?" He had seen Kazuki before, though he never really had a conversation with him, because of their age difference. Still Kazuki was one of the few people who didn't stare at him with hate.

Masanori could see the clueless expression on the red head's face, so he decided to elaborate. "When you were 6 years old, you went on a rampage." He started, but began coughing up blood before he could continue. His time was almost up, but he wanted to make sure Gaara understood his pain. "It was the same day your Uncle Yashamaru had tried to kill you, which was the very thing that triggered your transformation."

Just like before, Gaara remained quiet. He didn't want to hear this, but he needed to.

"Once you had transformed into the Shukaku you went on a rampage, destroying everything that was in your path. Your father had dispatched a small unit to restrain your inner demon. As you know back then our village was low on shinobi as well as resources, which ironically led to your creation." He chuckled after his last statement. Even in his present state he could still find the humor in the ignorance their village was famous for. "With that being said, your father had to assign chunin and genin to pick up the slack since many of the jonin were out on missions. I had just become a jonin, so I was out on my second S rank mission."

The Kazekage closed his eyes and replied, "So my father had assigned your brother to stop me."

Masanori nodded. "Kazuki had just become a chunin at age 13, and he was already being assigned to restrain a tailed beast! In the end the fourth Kazekage stepped in and put an end to the Shukaku's rampage. "His emotions were starting to get the best of him. "I wasn't there, but some of the villagers who witnessed it, told me he gave his all. "Tears were now beginning to from in his eye lids. He was trying his best to hold back his tears, but his emotions were getting the best of him. "I didn't even get to congratulate him on becoming a chunin..." Now the water was starting to run down his cheeks and onto his lips.

"Look I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your brother, I know how it feels to lose someone you care about." Of course he was talking about the loss of Jiraiya who was like a grandfather to him. When he died all he wanted was revenge, but he knew that's not what the pervy sage would want. "But you can't blame Gaara for something he couldn't control. He didn't choose to become a demon container." Naruto calmly explained. He was really starting to become agitated by his logic, but he tried his best to keep together.

"Ha… spoken like a true jinchuriki." Masanori retorted sarcastically. "All ways sticking up for your own… typical."

Annoyed by his attitude, Naruto made a tight fist while stepping toward him with the intent to shut him up for good. "Why you…" Naruto growled, preparing to finish the man hear and now.

Before he could act on his emotions, Gaara extended his arm to stop him. "Naruto you need to stay calm." He stated in sedate manner. "I've got this…"

Naruto knew he was right, but he had just let his anger get the best of him, but he's always been this way. He was never the type to sit back quietly while someone insulted his friend. At the same time this was Gaara's problem so he needed to be the one to handle it. "Alright Gaara…" He replied. Now that he had calmed down a bit, his eyes returned to their ocean blue color.

"I know it probably doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry about Kazuki. I'm not going to try and justify his death because there is no way I can do that." Gaara spoke sincerely. "At that time I was in a very dark place and everyday was a struggle." Pain and sorrow were evident on his face. "I'm not asking you to forgive me for what I did. I just want you to understand."

"I do understand Gaara, but that will never change the way I feel..." Masanori replied with bitterness. The hatred he had for him was too strong. "You've caused… so much pain and… you've killed so many. Those sins don't just go away overnight Gaara." Instead of the sadistic smirk the assassin had sported the entire conversation; his face was now full of sorrow. You could see the tears forming in his eyes, as he lied there quietly.

He was now on the verge of dying, but that didn't mean he was going to give up on his mission. Not for the organization, he could care less about their goals at this point. No this is was for his little brother, who was killed on that fateful day. "And that is why you must die…" Slowly he lifted his right arm which was numb, but it was still significantly stronger than his left. He placed the sore appendage on the brown zipper on his flak jacket. Quickly he pulled it down revealing a cluster of paper wrapped around his torso. "Does this look familiar Gaara?"

"What the hell!" Naruto screamed. He tried to count all the explosive tags that were strapped onto his body. There had to be at least 30 of them.

"There's no escaping this explosion…" Masanori stated in between coughing up more blood. The paper bombs he had were special. These weren't the usual small explosions that you get with your average paper bomb. The ones he had were had were equal to that of a C2 bomb. "The cave entrance is enclosed, you two will die here."

Not wasting anytime Naruto turned to Gaara to snap him out of his daze. "Come on Gaara! We gotta get the hell outta here!" He shouted before turning around and sprinting.

For a minute Gaara stared at his dying mentor. He wasn't fazed about him trying to reenact the final moments of his uncle's death. He was saddened to find out that he hated him so much that he would end his own life just to take him out. _You'd really go this far to end my life? _He thought. Shaking his head in shame, he turned around and ran to catch up with Naruto. Before he could get too far, he took one final glance out of the corner of his eye. "Farewell Masanori…" He whispered, before once again shifting his attention up ahead.

As soon as he did the explosive tags detonated, causing the whole cavern to shake violently. Gaara was a good 50 feet away, so he wasn't within range. Still that didn't matter because the cave was imploding. The sharp rocks from the ceiling were already beginning to descend making things that much difficult. _It's going to be difficult to find an exit under these circumstances, but we have no choice. _Naruto was at least 15 yards ahead of him, so he picked up the pace.

Once they left the room full of hot springs, they were basically running blind. They had no choice but to go deeper and deeper into the cave since the entrance was blocked. However Naruto didn't know where the hell they should go. Currently the duo was running through a stoned path with lava on the inclines.

After several seconds Gaara had caught up with Naruto. Sighing in relief, the blonde looked at him expectantly. "So... You gotta plan?" He asked playfully. It wasn't a good time to joke around, but that's the only way he Knew how to stay positive in situations like this.

"No I don't." He responded while scanning the lava filled room for an exit. Behind them they could hear the crashing sounds of rubble. The bats that were hanging upside down near the cave's entrance were now flying over their heads. It seems they were also searching for an exit. "We probably have about 5 minutes before this cave completely collapses." A smile appeared on his face, while dashing through the passage. "My sand defense will definitely be useless then." He mused.

"Yeah you're right… So we're going to have to find one before that!" Naruto said with enthusiasm. There was no way he's was going to die in some decrepit old cave.

Exiting the lava filled room the two headed down a dark hallway. The floor in the new passage way was rocky like gravel, unlike the smooth ground they had been walking on so far. This part of the cave seemed slightly more stable than the northern region, but considering where the explosion came from it made sense. As they ran they could see the rats scurrying around in different directions. _Aw man that's disgusting! _

After coming to the end of the passage way, they reached a corridor. There were two hallways for them to go down and they had little time to decide. Whichever one the picked, they would have to stick with. There was no going back, once they went down that hall way, the corridor will be completely enveloped in rubble.

"This isn't good…" Gaara grinded his teeth while shifting his eyes between both hallways. _Maybe we should both go done one. Know that isn't good we need to stick together. _

"Ah shit!" Naruto shouted while beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. _There's only one way to decide in situations like this. _He lifted his right hand and used his index finger to point at the first passage._ "_Eeny, meeny, miny, moe -

"Naruto… You're not serious are you?" He asked while raising an invisible eyebrow. He's seen the knucklehead to do some dumb things, but nothing like this.

"Yeah… This is the only thing I could think of." He replied nonchalantly.

The red head gasped at his explanation, but silently agreed. _We don't have any other options so I guess I can't argue. _"I guess we have no choice," he sighed. His friend smiled and returned to his decisive game of Eeny meeny miny moe. While Naruto was picking a passage, the hallway that they had just come out of was starting to collapse. _Damn it! We don't have much time. _Before he could scold Naruto about wasting precious time, something had caught his attention. Out of there corner of his eye, he saw a dim light flickering on and off_. Just what the hell is that? _He wondered. The light was coming from the first hall way, which seemed to be slightly bigger than the second one. Listening as good as a person could in collapsing cave; he had also heard a strange sound to match. This might be our ticket out of here.

"I think we should take the first one…" he remarked, interrupting Naruto's train a thought.

Not feeling any need to argue Naruto simply replied "okay…"

Now that two were on the same page, they wasted no time sprinting down the first passage way. With each step they took the light got brighter and the sound became clearer_. A light! Yes we found a way out of this hell hole. _A foxy grin appeared on the blonde's face as they dashed down the old hall. As they got closer and closer to the light, they were able to clearly see the writing and sculptures on the walls. The stone carvings were images of warriors surrounded by ferocious flames. The flames came from a giant red dragon that was hovering above them. _Dragons and shinobi, what does it mean? _

After running down the endless passage the strange light became within range. The light was purple, and it seemed to be emitting small electrical shocks. The two had planned on running straight through the light as soon as they saw it, but once they got to within 15 feet of it they stopped. "Whoa…" was the first thing that came to Naruto's mind as he gazed at the huge object. Right in front of them was a large purple hole of energy. Coming out of the hole were small bolts of electricity. The sound that it emitted was similar to that off a radio short circuiting.

In awe of the sight before him, Gaara had become speechless. _So this is the light I saw?_ He wondered, while staring at gaping hole. His eyes scanned up and down the giant mass of energy. It was so amazing to him; he couldn't understand how something like this even existed in their world. As he glanced at it his eyes wondered to a sculpting that had hung above the hole. It was an image of a man with a staff standing up to the giant dragon. Next to that was some encrypted writing. He squinted several times to see if he could understand the writing but to no avail. The words were written in another language or code, there was no way he'd able to decipher the writing. But when he decided that he wouldn't be able to decipher the writing, he turned his attention back on the image. In particular the man holding the Buddhist staff, there was something familiar about him. His eyes had a rippled like pattern with a light purple iris and sclera. Immediately he recognized it. "The Rinnegan…"

While Gaara stared at the sculpture above the door, Naruto slowly approached the huge hole. He was somehow being drawn to it like a magnet. His blue orbs were mesmerized; he was basically walking toward it without even being aware of how dangerous it could be. Once he was within a few feet of the mysterious portal, he placed the palm of his hand on the surface causing it to ripple. As soon as he touched it he felt a welcoming sensation. The electricity from the gate immediately began spreading through his core. "Amazing…" he whispered with a faint grin.

The room northern part of the hall was now beginning to fall apart, so they only had a minute at most to make a decision. They could either take a chance by steeping through the portal or stand there and wait to be crushed to death. The choice seemed obvious, but there were still unknown dangers that could be awaiting them on the other side. Gaara was still uncertain about the mysterious door. Just like Naruto he felt drawn to it, but he wasn't the kind of guy who judged things solely on instincts. Not to say he didn't use his instincts, he was just happened to be a very cautious person. However, Naruto already had made up his mind when he touched the gate.

"Gaara I think we should go," he stated with confidence, while gazing at the monumental hole of swirling energy.

There was no time for him to argue with Naruto's decision, nonetheless he was curious about his reasoning. "Why?"

A huge smirk appeared on the blondes face, "Just trust me… have I ever been wrong?"

The Kazekage didn't even bother answering the question. Instead he just stared at the blonde for several moments. A small smile appeared on his face, "Well I suppose it's better than dying." He responded while watching the rubble fall from the ceiling.

Once he heard he was on board, his smile grew even wider. "Alright! Let's go!" He pumped his fist in the air enthusiastically. Not wanting to waste any more time he jumped through the electrical portal, causing the gate to shudder.

"Wait!" Gaara warned but it was too late, Naruto had already gone through. Now he was alone in the collapsing corridor. The ground was shaking violently but the red head kept his composure. He took one final glance at electrical hole before sighing. "Naruto Uzumaki… You haven't changed a bit," he said. Quietly he walked toward the surging gate. As he made his way toward the gate, a large piece of rubble was heading straight for his head. Before it could make contact, the red head crossed through the portal.

* * *

><p>The colorful lights flickered, as the bus zoomed through the tunnel at an incredible speed. The bus driver knew Tsukune was already late, so he didn't have the time to worry about speed limits. Besides he was crossing through tunnel that separated the monster world and the human world. No one was going to see him so it didn't matter anyway.<p>

_I'm almost there _Tsukune thought while looking straight ahead. He could see the white light at the end of the tunnel, which reassured him of their impending arrival. _It should take me a good 15 minutes to get to the school from the drop off point. _He was anxious to get to school; he had already missed several classes. Before he knew it they had passed through the dimensional tunnel. The bus then came to a halt at the edge of a cliff. When it stopped, Tsukune stood up from his seat in the back and headed to the front of the bus. He waved to the bus driver as he exited the vehicle.

"Hey…"

Tsukune turned around to see what the strange man wanted. "Yes?" he responded, curious to what he would want

"Remember what I said, watch your back..." After his brief warning, the driver closed his automatic doors and took off in the opposite direction.

Tsukune waited till the bus was no longer visible before scratching his head in confusion. "I wonder what he means." He shrugged his shoulders before turning around to look at the forest he had to go through to reach the academy. It looked just as dangerous as ever. Sighing he said, "Well… I guess I better get going."

X-X-X-X-X-X

High above the forest in the vanilla skies, a small hole appeared. It was emitting strong bolts of purple electricity while spinning rapidly. With each electrical bolt, a thunderous sound came with it. For about a few minutes the vortex hovered 2,000 feet above the ground. After what seemed like forever, a figure came out of the swirling maelstrom. Emerging from the hole was blonde male. After his whole body passed through the vortex, his body began plummeting. While he descended he didn't move at all, his body had small electrical bolts surging through his body. He appeared to be unconscious, which only made matter's worse.

The purple vortex continued surge convulsively. The thunderous sounds became even louder as another figure was about to come forth. Miniature bolts of lightning flared, as a male with red auburn hair slowly came out of the lightning filled vortex. By the look of his half open eyes he was exhausted, but at the moment that was irrelevant. Now his body was almost completely out of the vortex and once that happened he'd fall straight to his death.

_W-Where am I? _He wondered while staring at the unfamiliar skies. His body had been severely weakened from traveling through the portal. When his green eyes shifted downward, his heart skipped a beat. Before he could say a word, he had already begun descending towards the earth. _Shit! This isn't good._ The red head thought, as he gazed down at the ground that he would be soon be a part of if he didn't intervene. While staring at the earth beneath him, he noticed another plummeting object. "What is that?" He whispered while squinting. It was very difficult for him to see with the wind blowing powerfully. The air currents were messing up his field of vision. After a few moments of focusing, he was finally able to make out one of the figure's characteristics. "Blonde hair…"

Immediately a light bulb turned on in his head and he knew exactly who the person was. "Naruto..." He whispered while gazing wide eyed at his friend. He was actually relieved to see him since there was no telling if they would end up in the same place after traveling through that portal. He was going to show one of his rare smiles, when he noticed something strange. _Why isn't he moving? _He wondered, while studying his body the best he can from his current position. His body seemed lifeless, there was no movement whatsoever. When Gaara figured out what was wrong with him he gasped in distress. _Damn it all! He's unconscious. It's probably because he jumped straight into it._

Naruto was now 1,000 feet off the ground and getting even lower by the seconds. His chakra was low, but he really had no choice in the matter. He was going to have to do something to save himself anyways, so might as well help out a friend in the process. As quick as he could in his current condition, he weaved through several hand signs. After he finished performing the necessary seals, he started focusing on the forest. He was obviously waiting for his jutsu to take effect, but nothing was happening. This caused the usual composed teenager to become a little distraught.

He wasn't worried about his own well-being, but he was worried about Naruto. He's the only person he knows who had to endure the same loneliness he did and he was also the one who saved him from that solitude. Naruto Uzumaki showed him that there was a way to gain acceptance as a jinchuriki. He inspired him to connect with the people of the sand and claim the title of Kazekage. His dream is to become the Hokage. For that to happen he needs to live past today. _I don't have much chakra left, but it will have to suffice!_ He was about to repeat the hand signs when the ground started shaking.

Suddenly a massive amount of sand began to rise from beneath the forest floor. All the animals scurried away from the forest opening. The bats that were rested on the surrounding trees flew away, as the sand continued to elevate. Once the sand had rose to about 700 feet it began to take shape. The monumental structure was at least 50 meters in width. Once the transformation was complete, the sand had taken the form of a beautiful woman. Both of her arms were outstretched and the palms of her hands were faced towards the sky in a welcoming manner. The left hand was in perfect position for Naruto to land. Gaara made sure he gathered up enough soft minerals so they wouldn't further injure themselves upon impact, but he also got plenty of hard minerals so they wouldn't fall through the sand.

Naruto was now within 20 feet of the sand woman's hand. Gaara watched carefully as his friend landed hard on the sand. On impact, a loud thud was heard. If he was awake he'd probably feel the full effects of that landing. Gaara did his best to make the sand soft enough for landing, but there had to be a little bit of pain, so it couldn't be helped. A small smile crept on his face when he saw Naruto land safely on his back. Now all he had to do was reposition his body so that he could land directly on the right hand of the sand sculpture. He was within 200 feet of the sand structure, but he was still several feet off target. Quickly the red head began to move his hands and legs in a swimming motion so he could get the correct spot. He kept doing this for about 5 seconds until he felt like he was in perfect position to land on the woman's right hand.

Once he was in the right location he stopped moving at let gravity do the rest. After what seemed like forever he finally landed on the palm. When his body made contact, the thud was even louder than the one Naruto made on impact. Unlike the blonde, he was actually conscious so he felt every ache and pain that came with the landing. "Damn it!" He murmured in a muffled voice. His voice sounded distorted since his face was buried in the sand. Groaning in pain, he tried to roll himself over onto his back. His abdomen was soar not to mention other parts of his anatomy, but he still tried to move. He was extremely exhausted; all he wanted to do was fall asleep. With the shukaku inside of him it was dangerous for him to drift into slumber. However he's far more stable than he was four years ago, so maybe the risks weren't as high.

Once he managed to turn onto his back, he let out an exasperated sigh. _What is this place? _He asked while staring up at the skies. Where ever they were, it was somewhere foreign. He noticed when he was falling from the skies that seas were red. Where he's from that's not normal. Another noticeable thing was the woods, all the trees were dead. There were no leaves and it wasn't even fall. Then the last thing was that huge building he had seen before landing_. I wonder what that building was_. He blinked several times before turning his attention to the sand woman he created. He was on the verge of losing consciousness, but he wanted to gaze at his creation one last time before submitting to slumber. Staring at the woman with half open eyes a faint smile crept on his face. Before he knocked out he whispered "You're always there for me... Aren't you mother?" After he said those words his eyes closed and he was out like a light. Several moments later, the giant sand sculpture of his mother Karura began to recede back into the earth.

X-X-X-X-X-X

Not too far from their location, Tsukune had got into a misunderstanding with a beautiful girl while on his way to school. She wore a red shirt tied in front by a bow and the standard skirt that all the female students wore. Her flaming orange hair was tied into pony tails. Unfortunately for Tsukune, her attitude matched her fiery hair color.

"You we're going to grope me again!" The girl screamed before delivering a painful kick to his face.

Tsukune head jolted from the blow, causing his neck to jerk. Rubbing his soar jaw, the young teenager tried to plead his case. "No I swear I wasn't trying to!" He murmured, but the troublesome girl was already too far away to hear him.

"Drop dead jerk!" She shouted back while walking north towards the academy.

The brunette slowly stood up and dusted off his clothes. _She may be cute, but she has a quick tempore,_ he thought while scratching his head_. Well at least I'm not the only one who's late _he thought as he watched her walk north towards the academy.

He was quietly walking through the forest, when he noticed a sand monument appeared in the sky. The good thing was Tsukune wasn't too far from where it was. If he walked fast enough he'd get there in about 5 minutes. Before he could go, that crazy girl ran him over with her bike, causing both of them to fall. When they fell, his hand accidently cupped her left breast and that's how it all started.

_I'm glad that's over… _He told himself, before turning in the direction he spotted the monument. When he looked in that direction it was gone. "W-What the hell! Where is it?" He shouted. Just like that the sand sculpture was gone. _That strange, it was just there a second ago._ Once again the brown haired boy scratched the back of his head in confusion. Sighing he turned to look straight ahead at the path that would lead him to his school in no more than 5 minutes. That little incident cost him a few minutes, but he still had 10 minutes before lunch started. Next he turned to the left to look at a large cluster of trees. _That's where that thing appeared_; he narrowed his eyes while staring in that direction. There was something suspicious about that thing. Tsukune wasn't one to investigate, but for some reason that monument caught his attention.

Still uncertain, he turned back to gaze at the path in front of him. He knew he needed to get to school, he had already missed almost half his classes, but there a part of him that was telling him to head deeper into the woods. "Alright I'll go… But I gotta make it fast!" He picked up his bag and turned left to head straight into the cluster of trees. He sprinted through the flock of trees, while gazing at his wrist watch every ten seconds. It bothered him that he was missing school to play inspector gadget, but he felt like this was one of those times he had to follow his instincts. As he ran his brand new shoes, were beginning to collect dirt. His school uniform was already dirty as it is and now his shoes. At the moment it didn't matter though, since Tsukune was too focused on something else.

The air breezed through his hair, as he twisted and turned through the woods. After last semester he had grown a great deal faster than he was. Moka's vampire blood seemed to have an effect on him even when in his human form. He was fairly certain that having monster blood inside him had its flaws, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. _I'm almost there… I could feel it. _With each step he took he became a little more anxious, resulting in him picking up speed. He was moving so fast that he ended up kicking up small rocks that weren't so visible. After running for about a minute he made his way to an intersection. This frustrated him; he didn't want to waste any more time than he had planned. Grinding his teeth, the brunette picked the path on the right it.

He dashed down the smooth path, but after a while he couldn't control his momentum. The road was too steep; eventually he was going to either trip or crash into something. "Ah shit! I can't control-

Before he could finish his sentence he foot got lodged in a pot hole. Tsukune stopped momentarily, but he fell forward before he could regain his balance. Now he was rolling down the hill at an incredible speed_. I should have just walked! Why didn't I walk? _He inwardly screamed. After tumbling down the hill for several seconds he rolled into a prickly bush. That was the worst place he could roll into.

Many of the thorns were now lodged in his arms and legs. His stomach, chest, and back were also filled with the miniature needles. To make matters worse his body was in an uncomfortable position. His right arm was stuck behind his back, while the other one was the deep inside the bush. His spine was twisted and his neck was also curled. "This sucks…" He groaned as he tried to maneuver himself out of the bush. He rolled his neck back and removed his hand that was trapped deep within the shrubs. Once he managed to pull it out, he rolled over and fell out of the thorn bush.

When he rolled out he landed on some soft soil, which was a relief. Still with the number of thorns that lodged in his torso made him look like a hedgehog. "I could have just gone to school; instead I decided to play the damn investigator!" Slowly he lifted himself off the ground, so he was now on his knees. Carefully he began removing some of the pricks that were stuck in his arms. Luckily they didn't hurt as much going out as they did going in. There were some small holes in his jacket, but he had several of them packed in his bag. After that he stood up to dust himself off. _I shouldn't have been running so fast, now I have to go to school looking like this. _He lifted his head up to see a row of pine trees. It was strange to see any trees with leaves in these woods. However Tsukune just shrugged his shoulder as he approached the trees.

They were all jammed close together, but there was still a small space between them. Tsukune tried his best to peek through the pine trees so that he could see what was beyond them. When he did he saw a huge forest opening. The vast clearing was easily the same size of your average football field. The grass wasn't lush green, but it was way healthier than the rest of the dried up forest. The opening was filled with many shrubs. Unlike the prickly bush he had just crawled out of these were actually healthy. "This has to be the place…" He said aloud while gazing at the large field. It didn't make since that he had never came across this place before, but then again he never really ventured in these woods. Most of the time he just took the path that would lead him straight to the academy.

Squirming his way through, Tsukune managed to squeeze through the pine trees. He didn't feel like wasting more time by going around. His brown eyes surveyed the area for anything suspicious. Slowly he started walking through the clearing. Every bush he passed, he'd look behind it before continuing. As much as he didn't like doing this it needed to be done. This school year was going to be like no other, he already could tell that much by the way the bus driver was acting. But it wasn't just the driver, Tsukune had his own suspicions. There was a chance that they could have a normal school year, but in his mind it was highly unlikely.

The 17 year old had now made his way through half of the field. Before moving any further he stopped to look at his watch. It was now 12:25. _Five minutes till lunch. _Right on time his stomach started growling. "Well I've wasted enough time here; I gotta get to school so I can eat." He was about to turn around when he noticed something on the of the corner of his eye, he saw a trail of sand. The small trail led to a bush that was a few meters ahead. Without giving it a second thought he walked toward it. When he got to it, he was astonished at what he found. "What the hell…" He whispered.

Lying there peacefully was an unconscious blonde male. The mysterious teen wore an orange and black tracksuit. The outfit was filled with holes that revealed all the bruises and cuts on his body. He also had on a pair of black sandals which was weird in its own sense. "I can tell by looking at his clothes he doesn't go to Yokai." He guessed while raising an eyebrow at the unconscious boy's fashion sense. No one wore orange on campus; most male students wore the Yokai jacket with a dress shirt under. After studying his clothes, his eyes wondered back up to his face. There were two things that had caught his attention. The first was the three abstract lines that were located on both his cheeks. "Are those whiskers…?" He thought while leaning in to get a closer look. Squinted several times to make sure his vision was fine. _Yeah those are definitely whiskers._ Never in his life had he seen someone with Whiskers on their face. That includes all the monsters in their human forms. _He sure is a strange one, _he thought.

The other thing he noticed was the headband wrapped around his forehead. On the headband was a metal protector with a symbol. It appeared to be a leaf, but he wasn't completely sure. "Who the hell is this guy?" Tsukune pondered while staring at the blonde. He kept observing him until he realized that the blonde was in pretty bad condition. His body was filled with wounds, and some of them were still open. There was no time to waste; he needed to get him to the hospital.

Slowly he stood up and stared at the mysterious blonde. He wasn't sure if he should try and carry him or run and get help. Sure he had gotten a little stronger and a little faster but he was still pretty weak. There was no way he'd be able to carry him all the way to the academy, especially in his current state. He himself was exhausted; the only thing he could do is get help. "I'll be back… I'm going to go get you some help," he said. The guy was knocked out, so there was no reply. Nodding he turned around to take off, but he felt something grabbed onto his leg. "What the…" He turned around to see what was holding him back. It was the injured teen. His blue eyes were half way open as he stared at back at the brunette.

Naruto gripped the guy's ankle a little harder to make sure he didn't run. Carefully the blonde tried to sit up, which was pretty hard in his current condition. Eventually his body started twitching and he fell back down. _Damn it! Why am I so weak right now? _He inwardly screamed. Sighing in defeat, he looked up at the guy who was standing over him. _Who is this guy? _He was sure he had never seen him before. Once he was sure the boy wasn't going to run he let go of his ankle.

He moved his neck which was the only part of his body that wasn't soar. _Where the hell am I? _The blonde wondered. His tired eye shifted left and right studying the foreign place. After looking around he realized this forest was also unfamiliar. _This must be the place we ended up after traveling through that strange portal. _He thought as his eyes started closing. But before he could slip in to slumber, his eyes shot open. _Gaara… Where is he? I know he came through after me so he should be around here somewhere._ Desperately he tried to get up, but his body didn't want to comply. Again he fell back down after only lifting his back a few inches off the ground. _Damn it! This isn't like me. What the hell is going on with my body! _

Tsukune stood there quietly as the stranger kept trying to sit up, but each time he tried he would fall back down in an instant_. What is it, that's making him want to move so badly?_ After about ten tries he finally intervened. "Don't push yourself; you'll only worsen your condition." He warned. Apparently the blonde heard him, so he stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Just stay here and I'll go get you some help. I'll be back in a few minutes." He explained with a reassuring smile. Before he could turn around, the strange teen spoke.

"Wait…" He said. His voice was low and raspy. He looked like he wanted to fall asleep.

"Yes?" Tsukune replied.

"Gaara…" He started as his ocean blue eyes started to close.

"What?" Tsukune responded with a questionable stare. He couldn't hear him clearly. _What is he trying to tell me? It must be something important if he's willing to push himself this far._

When Naruto finally found his speaking voice he whispered, "Gaara… my friend… You gotta find him," he requested before once again losing consciousness.

**To be continued…**

**Well that's chapter 2, I hope it was to your liking. Like I said at the beginning of this chapter, don't expect all of them to be this long. By the way it will be a while before update this story, because I gotta get back to working on my other two fics. Anyways leave a review and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Yokai's New Arrivals

Hey I'm back with the third chapter. It took a little longer than expected, but at least it's done. Unfortunately it's just as long as the other two. My bad, I had planned for it be 8,000 words at most, but extended even further. I have to admit there are something's I don't like; I'm not one hundred percent satisfied with how it turned out it gave me a lot of problems. As hard as I tried I couldn't get it to come out the way I wanted it to. And I've also been busy playing Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations. Those of you who haven't played it, I highly recommend it.

Oh yeah and by the way there's still some things I'm trying to work on. As somebody pointed out in one of the comments, it's going to be pretty difficult for me to give both characters equal time. This the first time I did a story with two protagonists, so bear with me. The good news is this chapter isn't a part of the prologue, so I guess you can say that this chapter is technically chapter one, since the crossover is now official. Well that's it for me. R&R

**Chapter 3: Yokai's New Arrivals **

The sun's powerful rays shined through the fiberglass window, illuminating onto the pale face of an unconscious teenager. This caused the young man to uncomfortably toss and turn in his sleep. The other occupant in the room couldn't be affected by the bright light since the two hospital beds were separated by a white sheet. The walls were grey with old black and white paintings. Overall the room was average, but that wasn't relevant. The rehabilitation room was a quiet and peaceful place, that's what mattered.

Even though the room was calm, the unconscious male's dream wasn't so tranquil. As he slowly shifted back and forth, the red head mumbled incoherent words in his slumber. "No… go away…" He murmured. His soft lips connected and parted with his tongue-tied sentences. Securely he gripped the sky blue sheets, as his facial expression became frightened. "I-I won't do it…" His chest began to rise and set uncontrollably. Now he was starting to perspire, the cool beads of sweat began to slide down his forehead.

In his nightmare, he was in a room shrouded by pure darkness. The room seemed empty, which was basically true. There was no one else in the pitch-black room, but that didn't mean he was alone. There was a familiar voice that kept echoing off the walls. It was a high-pitch, obnoxious, evil voice that wouldn't go away. He couldn't see a thing so he could pin point it, all he could do was listen.

The voice in his head wouldn't go away; instead it got louder and louder inside his psyche. It was very wicked high pitched screech that could only be described as psychotic. **"Kill them Gaara…" **The ominous voice repeated. **"Kill them all… They don't deserve to live. The only person you should protect is your mother. Everyone else must perish…" **It whispered.

Shaking his head in his sleep he replied_, "No_… _You stay away from me… I don't need you," _he mumbled. Whoever was trying to tempt him, he was trying his best to refuse its wishes. This nightmare was like no other, never in his life had he been so frightened, but the scary thing was that he wasn't afraid of the creature with murderous intentions. No, he was afraid of returning to the path of destruction. After hearing the disobedient words a light appeared the darkness. It was two shining eyes in the form of an evil glare.

"**Listen to your mother… She wants blood…"** The wicked voice echoed throughout his brain. The blood lust was evident in the creature's monstrous tone. **"Now quench her thirst…" **

"_You aren't my mother, I know who you are and I don't want anything to do with you!" _He screamed inwardly. His eyes shot wide open as his consciousness returned to him, the nightmare had finally come to an end. Sitting up in the mechanical bed, he wiped the sweat off his forehead. Right now his breathing was fluctuating, and his eyes were half open. Shifting his green eyes back and forth he sighed in relief. "It was only a dream…" He confirmed while bringing his eyes back to his lap. Small amounts of sweat dripped down his pale face. That voice, he hadn't heard it in a while, but it was a distinctive one he could never forget. "Shukaku," he growled.

The red head was a calm person by nature so it didn't take much for him to regain his composure. Still that was the most terrifying dream he had ever had. He knew that being the host of the Shukaku meant he couldn't sleep or else the beast would he eat away at his psyche. The red head placed the palm of his hand on his forehead, causing the red locks on the right side to lift. "I shouldn't have been so careless…" He silently scolded himself. Even though he couldn't control it he knew how essential it was for him to be conscious at all times.

Brushing that aside, the Kazekage eye's curiously wondered around the colorful room. "This place… Where am I?" He asked aloud. Removing his hand from his forehead his red locks fell back down slightly covering his kanji for love tattoo. Suddenly he heard a loud flushing sound coming from the opposite side of the room. He couldn't see what was on the other side because of the flower curtains were blocking his view. "Hmm…" He leaned over and grabbed the far end of the curtain. Slowly he pulled back the white drapes, so he could see what was behind them.

Once the cloth was completely pulled back, he saw another hospital bed. It was basically the same model, the only noticeable difference were the bed sheets were mint green. The only thing missing was a person. Obviously someone had slept in it, considering it was unmade. About ten feet away from that bed was a bathroom. The door was closed and the light was one, so he knew it was occupied.

Several moments later he heard the sound of a water facet, so that meant whoever was in there, was washing their hands and preparing to come out. _Who's in there? _He pondered while gazing at the wooden door. Slowly the metallic nob began to twist counterclockwise. The bathroom light turned off as the door was being pushed open. When the door was finally ajar, a blonde haired teen walked out in a long hospital gown. He had some bandages wrapped around his biceps all the way up to his forearms.

"Ah! I feel much better now!" Naruto said exuberantly. He closed the door behind him and proceeded to walk towards his bed. He was still half asleep so he didn't even notice his conscious friend.

"Naruto…" The red head whispered, causing the blonde to look up.

"Eh?" Naruto looked up to see Gaara sitting up in the hospital bed staring at him confusedly. Suddenly his blue eyes widened and smile appeared on his face. "Ha-ha Gaara! You're awake!" He shouted.

"Yeah… I just woke up a minute ago." He explained while gazing at the blonde's gown. Raising an invisible eyebrow at his outfit, he lifted up his blanket and what do you know. He had on the same exact thing. His bandages were securely wrapped around his abdomen and chest. Not completely certain of the current situation he shifted his attention back to Naruto.

"Just where the hell are we?" He questioned. It didn't take a lot or brain power to figure out that they were in an infirmary, which was obvious even to Naruto. The question is what village are they in? Or town for that matter…

Scratching his head sheepishly, Naruto replied. "I'm not sure... I woke up 10 minutes ago wondering the same thing." Carefully he climbed into the bed; his body was still soar, so he needed to be gentle for the time being. Grabbing the green sheets he pulled them to cover up the lower half of his body.

"I see… I guess the only thing we can do is wait for a nurse." Gaara calmly responded. Crossing his arms he lied back against the headboard. "Then will get the answers we're looking for…"

Placing both hands behind the back of his head Naruto replied, "Sounds like a plan to me." He sighed in contentment. Slowly he closed his eyes and began to relax. For some reason he was extremely tired, which was weird considering how long he had slept. _Hahaha! I guess my body is still weak from yesterday._ A huge grin on his face as he lied there with eyes shut. It took several moments for it to kick in. His right eye opened as he began to retrace his thoughts. "Yesterday…" He murmured. Instantly all the events that took place before he lost consciousness came back to him. "Oh Shit…" he started. "Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" He repeated. The frustration on his face was evident.

Bewildered, Gaara opened his eyes and turned to look at his panicking friend. "What's wrong?" It was very strange to see Naruto panicking. He always had a smile on his face, so seeing him act like this made the Kazekage become alert.

"The war…" He mumbled in a low tone of voice.

"What?" Gaara questioned in disarray. He couldn't make out what he was trying to say.

"The war…" He repeated in a slightly louder tone. "It's over."

Immediately Gaara became alert. His green eyes couldn't be more open. If they were, they would probably pop out of the sockets. _He's right; we had to be out for at least a day. The war has to be over by now,_ he told himself. After everything that had taken place, their minds were focused elsewhere so they couldn't give it any thought. Being chased by a group of assassins and then traveling through a strange portal could have that effect on a guy.

"Damn it… You're right Naruto, we're too late." Frustrated with the current situation, the red head gripped the sheets. The thing that bugged him was the uncertainty_. Madara's goal was to complete the eye of the moon plan. Obviously that was a failure once you factor in that Naruto and I still have our tailed beasts. Still what happened? How many people lost their lives? Are Temari and kankuro alright?_ All these questions were floating through his mind. As the Kazekage he had many responsibilities and protecting his village was the most important of them all. The predicament was very troubling to say the least.

They were so busy trying to get rid of the Root Officers; they didn't have the time to worry about it before. Now that they were alone and free from all the stress, they actually had a chance to reflect on things. Even if they were in an unknown location, it was still better than being pursued.

Naruto was just as troubled as Gaara if not more. He couldn't stand not knowing what had happened. The whole war was centered around those two and they weren't even there to help. Sure they were there for part of the battle, hell they had even defeated some of the world's strongest shinobi. But that didn't matter one bit because they weren't there for the ending. _What about Sakura and the others. Are they safe? _If something happened to his precious friends, he would blame himself for not being there to prevent it. _Did Uncle Bee escape? _The Hachibi jinchuriki was also at risk. He could have been captured by the akatsuki or by Root. He had so many things to do, but there was one thing he needed to take care of that couldn't wait.

"Sasuke…" He whispered.

The battle between Naruto and Sasuke was a destined one. It was supposed to be one of epic proportions. Friend versus friend, light versus dark, Senju versus Uchiha… Naruto knew good and well that he was the only one who truly understood Sasuke. Therefore he was the only one who could handle his hatred. As his best friend it was his job to take care of him, his and no one else. For some odd reason he wasn't worried about Sasuke. Even though he was probably miles and miles away from him (Which doesn't even began to describe the distance) He could still feel his presence. _Sasuke I know you're out there I could feel it. _

"Naruto…"

Hearing the red head's voice he snapped out of his daydreaming. "Huh?"

"As soon as we are released from this hospital we should head back." Gaara stated solemnly. There was no reason for them to overreact; for all they know the shinobi alliance could have been victorious. The only thing they could do was hope for the best.

"I couldn't agree more…" He replied with a smile. _I already fill fine other than a few soar body parts and Gaara looks fine. We should be out of here in no time,_ he chuckled.

"Still… There are a few things that have been bothering me." The Kazekage remarked inquisitively. There were many questions that needed answering. Where were they? How did they get there? Before he could explain his thoughts to Naruto they heard the hospital room door open and shut.

The sound of pattering footsteps got louder with each passing second. They heard multiple taps on the tile floor, so it was obvious to them that there was more than one person. Coming around the corner were three individuals.

Walking in the middle was a tall man with tan skin who looked fairly young. He wore a long white robes with a gray sash wrapped around his thin waist. On his head he wore a matching white turban that concealed his glowing white eyes.

On his left was a beautiful woman with long curly blonde hair. She wore a traditional old fashion nurse outfit, a long green dress with a white apron. In height she wasn't all that tall; the best way to describe her is petite. Her eyes were a beautiful cerulean blue. In her hand was a clip board with several documents.

Walking on the right was a tall gorgeous young woman with fair skin and long brown hair tied into two pony tails. She wore a pink corset that stopped just above her bust. The black strings on the garment go up and around her neck to keep it secure.

When the trio rounded the corner they reached the middle of the room. The blonde haired woman who appeared to be the nurse stepped forward and addressed them.

"Hello!" she cheerfully said. The smile on her face was very warm and genuine. "I'm nurse Azumi and I've been taking care of you two for last few days." She walked over to Naruto's bed and extended her hand in the form of a hand shake.

For a while Naruto just sat there confused while staring at the offered hand. His mind was all over the place right now so it took a few seconds for him to process everything. Once he snapped out of his gaze and realized what was going on, he shook his head embarrassedly. "Oh! Um it's nice to meet you," he replied with flushed cheeks, while accepting her hand. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki…" He said while politely shaking her hand.

"Well it's nice to meet you to Naruto." She grinned. "How old are you?" She politely asked while holding up her clipboard. She had her ballpoint pen ready in anticipation of his answer.

Wearily he gazed at her before answering. "I'm 16."

"Alright," Once she had gotten his name she scribbled it down on her clipboard. After making acquaintances with the Naruto, she walked over to the opposite bed. Her blue eyes locked on the red head as she slowly approached.

"I'm 16 as well, my name is Gaara." He remarked with his usual expressionless face. "It's a pleasure to meet you Azumi."

Once she got to his bed the two shook hands. As they greeted her, she had a look of confusion plastered on her face. _Hmm… No surname_?

"Likewise…" She responded. Once Azumi was acquainted with both boys, she turned around and walked back to the middle of the room to stand in between the other two visitors. Her eyes went back in forth between both boys. _Interesting… after all those wounds and contusions we found on their bodies, they still have the strength to sit up. But then again we didn't find any broken bones, _she thought to herself._ But him, _she turned to face Naruto._His body was filled with bruises, burns, and all sorts of things when he was first admitted. And now…_

Blinking several times she snapped herself out of the daze. Coughing to clear her throat, she decided to proceed. "Well by the looks of it, you guys are healing at an impressive pace. I have to admit I was worried, because we've been a little understaffed lately, but then again Yokai Academy is still a very resourceful facility."

Bewildered, both males squinted while staring at the woman. That was a strange name for an infirmary. Now they knew for certain they were far away from their respective villages.

"Yokai…" Naruto quietly whispered.

"Academy?" Gaara finished in the form of a question.

Seeing their perplexed facial expressions, Mako decided to intervene. "Oh... I'm sorry boys, I guess I left out a few important details." _How clumsy of me_, she sheepishly scolded herself. "The hospital you are in is located on a school campus."

"We're on a school campus?" Naruto asked while scratching his spikey blonde hair.

The young woman nodded her in confirmation. Her serene smile seemed to lighten up the atmosphere. "Correct you're at Yokai Academy, a school exclusively for monsters."

The last five words of that sentence caused the boys to become alert. Even Gaara's face had come alive after hearing that declaration. There is a school for monsters, that's just crazy talk. Why would monsters even need to go to school? The whole concept was absolutely absurd. She had to be joking.

_Impossible, how could something like that even exist! _Naruto screamed inwardly. Just the thought of it caused him a little bit of anxiety. After everything they had been through thus far, the whole idea was a little overwhelming. Not to say he was scared, he was just a little caught off guard. His mind kept flashing back to that strange portal that they traveled through. _Just where the hell did we end up? _

Gaara's was also going through a similar thought process. He wasn't really shocked about the thought of demons considering he and Naruto both had monsters sealed within them. _Does this mean were in another realm? _He pondered. There were so many possibilities. Anything could have happened when they passed through the portal, hell they could be on another planet. Once the two had some time to digest the startling information, they quickly regained their composure.

"Do you guys go to school?" She inquired.

Naruto shook his head, "No we don't," he replied cautiously.

Azumi frowned at his answer. "That's horrible boys your age should be getting some kind of education," she said. The pity she had for them could be heard in her motherly voice. Sighing in disappointment she replied, "Anyways I'm going to step aside so the headmaster could speak with to you two. After that I'll give you both a checkup," she said, before taking her seat near the window.

Stepping forward, the man known as the headmaster of Yokai Academy decided get things started. "As nurse Azumi previously stated, I'm the headmaster of this establishment. I'm delighted to meet you," He grinned. He turned to face the young woman standing next to him. "This young girl is my assistant Ruby Toujo." He introduced the gothic beauty.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed. Both jinchuriki bowed their heads in respect.

"As you know we are here to ask you a few questions." He announced. They weren't two shocked to hear him say that, when two unidentified teenagers are found unconscious in a forest there's bound to be some questions. "First off I need to know where you boys are from." He requested in an ominous voice.

Gaara stared at the headmaster with his poker face. He seemed perfectly calm on the outside but that wasn't the case. On the inside he was having an inner dispute. He didn't know what to say. If he told him he was from Sunagakure than that would lead to even more questioning. There was a strong chance that his theory of them being in another dimension was true, so the last thing he needed to do was raise suspicion. If he was right then they couldn't possibly know about any of the ninja villages. Exhaling he decided not to prolong things any further. "Well to be honest…"

"We're from Japan!" Naruto abruptly interrupted. Gaara confusedly turned to see Naruto smiling brightly.

Gaara stared at his comrade nervously. _What the hell is he thinking?_ he thought to himself.

Of course Naruto was strong and there was no doubt that he was clever on the battlefield. But strategy was not his strong suit. Constantly he would rush into battle on impulse. He didn't get the nickname number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja for no reason. Sighing, the red head had no choice but to leave it in his hands_. I hope you know what you're doing Naruto… _

"You're from japan?" The principal repeated questionably. He turned his attention away from Gaara and made eye contact with Naruto. For some reason he wasn't satisfied with that answer. "What city in Japan?" He asked. The suspicion in his voice was clear as day.

"Um…" Naruto murmured while thinking. He was desperately trying to remember something, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember. _Damn it! At times like this I wish I had a good memory. Oh well I'll just have to cheat._Looking out of the corner of his left eye he located what he was looking for. It was a large paper with an image of Japan and next to it were a list of all its popular cities. How convenient right? Grinning he answered, "Tokyo."

"Ah, the capital of Japan that's a nice place to live." Ruby commented. She had been quiet the whole time so she figured it was time for her to put in her two cents. "I've always wanted to go! What's it like?"

The nine tails jinchuriki was really starting to get the hang of it. He was always good at pulling pranks and other mischief. That being said, you knew he had to be a good liar. Naruto grinned before continuing his brilliant performance. "It's great! You've got to go… the restaurants there are incredible." He chuckled. "Especially the ramen it's the best, right Gaara?"

Gaara's mind had wondered elsewhere he didn't even realize what was going on until, he saw Naruto staring at him expectantly. "Y-Yes of course," he responded uncertain about what he was agreeing with.

Understandingly he nodded. These boys were very interesting to him for some odd reason. One of them was quiet, while the other was loud and obnoxious. He needed to know more about them, but before that he needed to ask the most important questions first. Putting on a serious face he opened his mouth to speak.

"How exactly did you boys end up unconscious in the forest outside of our school?" He questioned.

This question was even harder to answer then the previous one. Coming up with a good lie in this situation would be difficult for anyone, even someone like Naruto would struggle and he specialized in the field. There was no way Gaara could up with a believable fib; he wasn't a good liar. He has always been an honest person even during his psychotic years. Things were starting to look grim.

"Do you remember?" The mysterious man asked, his eyes darting back in forth between the two teenagers.

"Remember…" Naruto mumbled. Gradually a plan was beginning to develop. His ramen filled brain was now buzzing with thoughts. _Ha-ha why didn't I think of this before? It's the oldest trick in the book!_ He chuckled inwardly. Now that he had his mind set, all he had to do was play the part. "Well now that you mention it… My memory is a bit fuzzy." His voice sounded dazed and confused. Acting was so easy for him; he could make it his second career.

Gaara sighed at the blonde's antics. He didn't know Naruto as well as some of his other friends, but he knew when somebody was acting. Instead of speaking up he decided to remain quiet and see how things played out.

"Fuzzy. Well what's the last thing you remember?" Ruby asked curiously. _There's no way he could have amnesia. Could he? _

"Uhh… I don't know." He appeared to be disoriented. His blue eyes lifted towards the ceiling, it seemed like he was actually retracing his thoughts. "Hmm..." Naruto placed his thumb under his chin.

"How about you? Do you remember anyone bringing you here?"

The red head turned around to see the Headmaster staring at him with a devilish grin. Apparently he was trying to see if we both had a loss of memory. Not wanting to make eye contact with the strange man, he averted his gaze to the window. _Well Naruto already started this facade, I might as well go along with it._ "Sorry, I can't recall."

The principal narrowed his eyes at his response. _So they both don't remember. Isn't that convenient? _it was highly unlikely that they both lost their memories. Unless they were drugged but that wouldn't explain how they got here from Japan. Nonetheless the fact they lied to them without any fear of the consequences took some nerve. Even though they lied to them there bravery was very admirable. "Well that's all the questions I have for you two. For now that is…"

His assistant Ruby turned to him in confusion. She was surprised to hear that they were already done questioning them. There were so many questions that needed to be asked and they only asked two. She didn't know what he was planning but, she decided to let it go and ask him about it later.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of those words. _Finally, now maybe they'll leave. _Answering those questions was beginning to become troublesome. He didn't think he'd be able to create another believable lie.

Gaara's thoughts were similar. He wasn't really a talkative person in the first place. Being the Kazekage, he was used to council meetings and other social obligations. Still he only talked when spoken to or when he had an opinion on the topic.

He and Ruby were walking towards the door, when he stopped abruptly. "Before I go, I have an offer for you two."

Intrigued Gaara replied, "An offer?"

"Yes, how would you guys like to enroll at our school? We could use some fine young men such as yourselves. "

His offer was a shocking one to say the least. Both boys' eyes immediately went towards their laps as they thought things over. Quietly they sat there and contemplated.

Now this was new. An offer to attend a school for monsters, who would of thunk it? The jinchuriki duo didn't really know what to make of his proposal. It was very generous of him to ask, but at the same time they needed to get back home. They didn't even know if they were still in the same dimension. There was a possibility that the portal had just sent them to some strange town or village. It was conceivable, if there was a land for talking toads, why couldn't there be a school for monsters?

Nevertheless there top priority was to find their way back to the ninja world. Maybe if things were calmer they would reconsider. However both of their respective village needed them. Konoha was in the middle of rebuilding. Pain's devastating attack left the leaf in ruin. Buildings were being reconstructed and new plans were being made for the future. His village was counting on him now more than ever. He needed to be there to lend a hand. After meeting both his mother and his father, he knew exactly what they expected of him and he was determined to make them proud. _No I can't stay here, my friends and my village needs me. _He thought with his trademark foxy grin.

As the sand's Kazekage, Gaara had far too many responsibilities to even think about a vacation. The sand had always been low on shinobi and resources. It was his job to change those statistics. He had already surpassed his father, now he was aiming to exceed the third Kazekage. After his father had revealed the truth to him about his mother and uncle, he had become overcome with joy. Finding out that he was loved, made him feel complete. Now he had a new outlook on life, which gave him the necessary determination to become the best Kage the sand had ever had. _As Kazekage I will protect my village. _Thinking back to what happened with the foundation, he grimaced. He still needed to deal with of some of the traitorous council members back home. _At all costs… _

At the same time both teens lifted their heads and made eye contact with the mysterious man.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to refuse." They both responded.

Their words came out in unison, resulting into facing one another. For several moments they stared at each other in shock. It wasn't strange for them both to come to the same conclusion. They both knew how important the other one was to the success of their villages. The fact that they were both so decisive and didn't hesitate was alarming. Even the headmaster was caught off guard. Amused the red head grinned at the blonde. Naruto smirked back, before giving him his trademark thumbs up.

The older man grinned happily. Yes he was disappointed, but for some odd reason he was satisfied. "I see…" Their decisive attitudes were truly respectable. He could tell by their tones they were desperate to get home. "Well the offer is still on the table in case you change your minds." He grinned as he continued to walk towards the door. "Come Ruby, we should be going."

"Uh Y-Yes sir." She stuttered, before walking fast to catch up with him. "It was nice to meet you guys!" She smiled with a friendly wave.

Naruto waved back, "It was nice to meet you to!"

Gaara opted not to say anything. Instead he just nodded.

"And Azumi, please don't be too long. It's important they get there rest." Ruby reminded her fellow staff member.

"Of course!" The blonde nurse perkily replied.

Once the headmaster and Ruby left the room, Azumi closed the door behind them. After, she turned around and walked back towards their beds. "Alright you guys I'm going to do a quick evaluation. I'll ask you some questions and then I'll do a quick check up on your physical condition." She picked up one of the orange chairs in the back of the room and carried it over to the beds. She carefully dropped it down next to Naruto's bed, and then took her seat. "Alright Naruto I'm going to start with you first."

"Ha-ha alright…" The knucklehead sheepishly said. He hated being in hospitals and he hated evaluations. As far as he was concerned he was perfectly healthy. Thanks to the nine tails all his wounds healed remarkably fast. Nurse was really cute, but if her being in the room meant he was going to get a shot then she had to go. "Umm just how long is this going to take?"

"It's a very quick process. I should be done with both you guys in about twenty minutes maybe less…"

**15 minutes later **

"All done," Azumi removed the thermometer from Gaara's mouth. She brought the measuring instrument up to her face so that she could read him the results. "98.4 Fahrenheit." She stated while gazing at the stick. "That's average temperature, good for you."

"Hmm…" He replied nonchalantly.

"Well I'm finished." She smiled while picking up her pen and clipboard. Digging into the pouch in her apron, she pulled out two strange devices. Carefully she handed them one each.

"What are these for?" Naruto asked curiously.

"It's a buzzer. Just click the red button in the middle if you need anything and someone from the lobby will come to assist you. You guys seem pretty healthy other than a few bumps and bruises, so I doubt you'll need them. That being said you should be released in a few days," she smiled blissfully. After giving them the run down, her green eyes darted back in forth between the two, "Any questions?" Their blank facial expressions gave her the answer. "Well then I'll be off, be sure to get some rest you two!"

"Thanks…" Naruto shouted as she walked out the door. As soon as he heard the door close, he lied back down and sighed, "I'm glad that's over." Now that there were no visitors, they could peacefully relax.

"Yeah but now that we're alone, we need to discuss something's." Gaara stated sedately. Being confined to an infirmary had its perks. Now they were alone and had time to plan things out, which was good considering everything that had transpired recently.

"Yeah you're right," he murmured. Staring up at the ceiling light he sighed. This whole month had been really stressful. All he wanted to do was kick back and relax. Unfortunately his friend was right; they needed to talk things over. He needed to tell him about something anyway. "You know what's weird… I remember passing through the portal, but I don't remember coming out of it."

Gaara quietly recalled when they first came through the gate. He could see Naruto's body descending motionlessly towards the ground. The strong wind blowing through his hair as he quickly weaved through the hand signs. He remembered panicking when the jutsu didn't take effect. _Good thing it did, or we wouldn't be having this discussion right now, he_ mused. "How strange…" He replied calmly.

"Yeah, but I do remember waking up in that forest," He said matter-of-factly. "When I did there was this guy standing over me."

This got Gaara's full and undivided attention. "Really? What happened?"

Slowly he recollected everything while humming. "Oh Yeah… He told me stay still and he'll be back with some help… But before he left I told him to go find you." _Ha what do you know! Maybe my memory's not so bad after all._

"Well I guess that explains how we got here," Gaara ascertained after hearing Naruto's information.

"I guess so, but I wish I could have had the chance to thank him," he shrugged. He really was grateful, if that guy didn't show up who knows what would have happened. There wounds weren't fatal, but they still could have died of malnourishment if they were out there too long. "Oh well…" He sighed.

"In any case, I think we should try and figure out our current location." Gaara said.

Naruto blinked several times to show his confusion. "What do you mean Gaara? We're in a hospital on a school campus full of monsters. Remember?" He chuckled at Gaara's forgetfulness. "I mean how did you forget that?" He asked playfully.

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Eh?" The blonde asked stupidly.

Gaara was quiet for a few moments. He really didn't know how to say it without sounding crazy, so he decided no to waste time beating around the bush. "I think we're in another dimension."

"Why do you say that?"

"The scenery…" Gaara started, while gazing outside the window. "It's very strange, the water is crimson red and the skies are always changing colors…. When we first arrived a few days ago, the sky was yellow. Today it's blue."

"That is pretty weird…" Naruto said. He knew they were in a strange place, but he never thought of them being in another dimension. He just thought they were miles and miles away from the battlefield. Never in his wildest dreams did he think they would wind up in another world. However instead of blowing a casket, he became fascinated. "Well there's only one way to find out!" He jumped out of bed.

Bewildered, Gaara watched as the hyperactive ninja walked straight to the far end of the vast room. "Naruto what are you doing?"

Once Naruto got to the other side of the room he slowly turned around to face Gaara. With a confident smile he said, "Don't worry, just watch." He formed the thumb up sign with his left hand. Dramatically slow, he lifted the hitched appendage to the front of his mouth. Placing in between his two sets of teeth, he bit down hard causing blood to squirt out. Quickly he flashed through the hand signs. Boar-Dog-Bird-Monkey-Ram was the sequence. Then he kneeled down and slammed his hand on the tile.

**"Summoning Jutsu!"**

As soon as his palm made contact with the floor, a black ink pattern appeared. Following the black ink was a powerful surge of flashing electricity. The static surged around the black ink circle. This wasn't what he was expecting. The voltage was so intense it circuited around the room.

Gaara quietly sat in his bed and watched the whole thing on fold_. I don't remember this happening the last time I saw him summon_. The last time he saw Naruto summon was during their epic battle four years ago. Just when Gaara was about to crush him with his sand coffin he summoned a giant toad. This time there was no toad, or anything object for that matter. There was only static electricity.

_What is this, _he pondered. Irritated, he grunted as he funneled more chakra into his fingertips. This caused the electric charge to surge violently. The voltage was so strong it created a chirping sound, similar to the chidori. He could feel a burning sensation in his palm. Eventually it became unbearable, and he decided to cancel the jutsu. When he stopped funneling the chakra through his hand, the electrical disturbance ended. As soon as he stopped the technique, Gaara got out of his bed and walked over to check on him.

"Are you alright?" He questioned, while gazing at his burned hand.

Naruto's starting breathing erratically. "Yeah… I'm fine." Holding his wrist securely, he gazed at the burned palm. "Damn…" He winced in pain. "That never happened to me before", he said. When people used the summoning jutsu a puff smoke appears. Once the smoke disperses your animal or person should be standing there in its place. This wasn't just unordinary; it was the farthest thing from it.

Disappointedly, Gaara closed his eyes and sighed. "I guess that confirms it," he said while extending his arm to help him up. Accepting the outstretched hand and he pulled him up. "We're in another world."

"Yeah seems that way." Naruto grimaced. Now getting home was going to be even more difficult. There was no sense in them getting worked up, they were shinobi so they could easily adapt. But that didn't change the fact that needed to get home as soon as possible. "So how the hell do we get back?" He asked dumbfounded.

"Don't know. I've experienced a lot of strange things, but nothing like this," Gaara responded. For once, he was just as stupefied as his friend. Things were getting really complicated really fast.

Shrugging, Naruto walked passed him so he could get back in his bed. He plopped down on the mattress and stretched his ligaments ever so comfortably. "Well I'm stumped!" He yawned. Worrying wasn't going to get them nowhere so might as well take a little nap. This whole ordeal has been very overwhelming. "I'm going to catch some Z's, wake me up if you figure something out," he closed his blue eyes and snuggled his head into the pillow.

"Hold on..."

"Yes?" He opened one eye attentively.

Gaara really didn't want to suggest this, but they didn't have the luxury of being picky. Right now they were stranded and in a monster world no less. Their main priority was to get back home, but they needed a place to stay first. If they somehow made some new friends they might be able to get some help finding a place to live temporarily. There was only one place that he could think of. "I got an idea, but it involves a lot of sitting and listening."

Both eyes now open; he raised a questioning brow, "Sitting and listening?" He repeated questionably. The knucklehead sat up straight to look him in the eyes. Naruto might not have been bright, but he knew there were only two things that he could think of that involved sitting and listening. There was school and movies, and he knew it couldn't be the latter. It had to be something he was horrible at. "School…" He murmured.

During his academy days he had terrible grades. Being a hyperactive kid, it was very hard for him to stay focused on his studies. Not to mention the fact, that he was a class clown. This led to him ditching class with several other students who thought learning was a nuisance. Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba were obviously the others. Since each of them lacked interest in their education, it only made since for them to ditch together.

Gaara leaned back against the wall that was across from Naruto's bed. "Correct," he replied solemnly.

"But why?" He couldn't understand why Gaara wanted to waste time at a school for monsters. They both had things to take care of so his sudden change of heart was surprising. "I thought we agreed on going back as soon as we are released."

"Yes I know Naruto, but remember we're stranded in another dimension." He reminded. The Kazekage wanted to get back to Suna, just as much as he wanted to get back to Konoha. For that to happen they'd need to create a plan. "Who knows how long it will take for us to find our way back. In the meantime, we're going to need a place to stay."

"Yeah but we're humans we can't go to this school." He said. That was a valid excuse; if somebody found out that they were human it could be troublesome, as Shikamaru would say.

"If they thought we were humans they wouldn't have offered," he elaborated.

Gaara new good and well why they didn't suspect them to be humans. It was because of their tailed beasts. Their ominous chakra probably gave them the impression that they were also monsters. _That has to be why he didn't bother asking if we were humans. That's the only plausible explanation._ "The headmaster was probably able to sense the demonic chakra within us," he said.

Agreeing Naruto nodded at his assessment. "True and I can tell by his demonic energy that he's no pushover himself." Since he had woken up, he had been sensing a dark chakra. Each second it had felt like it was getting closer and closer. It wasn't sinister or even evil for that matter, but it still felt threatening. Once he laid eyes on the man known as the school's headmaster, he realized it was him all along. "I do agree with you Gaara, we need to find a place to stay, but this is very risky," he stated worriedly.

He wasn't worried about himself, because this kind of thing was right up his ally. Naruto loved to take risks; his impulsive nature was a huge part of his personality. To him this was just another adventure. Gaara on the other hand, was a more serious, calm, and reserved person. All schools are hectic rather it is a ninja academy or regular learning facility. He could only imagine how a crazy a school for demons could be. "You know me Gaara, I'm up for anything. I just want to make sure you're ready."

For the second time today a grin made its way onto his pale face. "Naruto I appreciate your concern, but there's no need for you to worry. I know I'm not as talkative as you are, but I' am Kazekage and that does require some socializing." He turned to face the blonde with a reassuring smile. "I can handle this…"

Naruto gazed at him with uncertainty. He couldn't tell if Gaara was putting up front, of if he was serious. After several second of contemplating, he narrowed his eyes. "Alright then that's all I need to know," he then proceeded to hop off the bed.

Not too long ago he looked exhausted, but now he looked as exuberant as ever. Slowly he walked over to Gaara. His head was faced towards the ground and his blonde locks hung over his head, concealing those blue eyes of his. Once he was within 3 feet of him he stopped. "Well then…" He started. Swiftly he raised his head and locked eyes with him confidently. He made a fist with his right hand, and then he extended the appendage.

"It looks like Yokai Academy will be welcoming two new monsters."

Gaara stared at the tan fist questionably. He didn't understand what Naruto was doing. Unlike the rest of the blonde's friends, Gaara was socially awkward. When it came to discussing important matters, like things that concern the sand village, he was fine. But he was lacking in the casual greetings department. By the look of Naruto's expectant smile, he was waiting for him to bump his fists. He was use to giving to the normal formal hand shake. After gazing at the clenched fist for a few seconds, his small lips started to quirk up into the faintest grin. Slowly he extended his own clenched fist and bumped it against Naruto's.

"Right…"

**One week later **

Strong winds blew the autumn leafs across the pavement. The brown leaves floated in the air and scatter across the school yard. Today was cool, calm relaxing day. The sun was hidden behind the gloomy clouds, but there was no rain. Students casually walked towards their classes not concerned at all about being late. School was going to start in a few minutes and some kids were still outside chatting like they had no place to be. When you think about it, their actions weren't all that surprising. Teenagers were known to socialize and discuss current topics amongst each other. Rather it was about fashion, sports, or what they did over their weekend, kids talk. Even if those kids are monsters.

Tsukune sat at his desk in his homeroom class. Carelessly he watched as the students arrived on campus. He could hardly believe that this was his second year at the academy. It felt like only yesterday, he had arrived here a nervous kid. Now he had been there for over a year and he had already changed so much. Now he had the strength and courage to protect his friends. He appreciated the help he got from Moka and the others, but he was a man and he couldn't depend on women for assistance. _Speaking of assistance, I wonder how those guys from the other day are doing._

After he had found the blonde in the woods, he went to go locate his friend as he requested. It only took him a couple of minutes. Several meters outside of the vast field, he discovered an unconscious red headed teen. His outfit was just a strange as the other guys. He wore a long-sleeve crimson coat with flaming hemlines, along with full length dark trousers. Wrapped around those trousers were thin grey laces. Strapped over his coat was a grey vest. To be honest he looked like he could of starred in the matrix. However, just like the blonde, his clothes weren't the most peculiar thing about him.

The first thing automatically noticed was the tattoo on his forehead. He couldn't read it at first, so he leaned in to get a better look. The design had turned out to be the kanji for love. It was strange to see someone who was probably the same age as him, with a tattoo and on the forehead no less. The next thing he noticed was the fact that he had no distinctive eyebrows. That was strange in its own sense, but many people shave their eyebrows nowadays. Most of the time you only see girls doing that, but he just assumed he was trying to create a new fad. The Tattoo and missing eyebrows was weird, but not even nearly as unusual as the last thing he found on his face, which was a small crack. Literally his face had a crack in it, like you find in a partially damaged egg. Tsukune's was really creped out; it was as if he was unconsciously shedding his own skin. After seeing those two, he'd been wondering just what species of yokai they were, but unfortunately it didn't seem like he'd find out anytime soon.

Ever since they were admitted to the infirmary he hadn't heard anything about them. He went down there the following day to check up on them, but was sent back. _The secretary at the desk said they were still unconscious. I wonder how there doing now._ He couldn't help, but hope that they had woken up by now and were already released. _But then again, there were in pretty bad shape when I found them. I guess I can go check in see if there still there. _

Brushing that aside, he began to recall last year's events. He was now 17 years old and a lot stronger than he was back then. Still he couldn't help but wonder how he had survived all that. Sighing he looked away from the window and gazed at his right wrist. Staring at him just reminded him of its origins. The whole thing that happened last year with Kuyou was just the beginning, after that the newspaper club had an even more dangerous foe to deal with.

The Anti-Thesis was a group of hybrid monsters that targeted the club during the second semester of Tsukune's freshmen year. Every day Tsukune had to be on guard, because they were so persistent with their attacks. Even though there power was nowhere near Kuyou's, they were still a relentless bunch. Most of their members of the outcast Ayashi were stronger than Kuyou's underlings.

Hokuto Kaneshiro was their leader and he was incredibly strong. He befriended Tsukune, by telling him how much he wanted to change the school for the better, but his true goal was the exact opposite. Since Tsukune had the same dreams he looked up to him. Ultimately he betrayed him, and revealed his true nature. In the end, it took the efforts of Tsukune and an awakened Moka to defeat him. The key difference between their battle against the security committee and Anti- Thesis is the aftermath. Tennei Mikogami, the headmaster of Yokai did a good job concealing the crimes of the Anti-Thesis; so most students didn't even know they ever existed. He was happy that they were rid of Anti Thesis, but those battles he fought is what led to him requiring the holy lock. _I wonder how stable it is, it's been awhile since I last removed it. _His curiosity was starting to get the best of him.

Before doing anything else, he scanned the room to see if anyone else was looking. There were only 7 other students in the class right now, but he didn't want anybody to see. Luckily Moka and the others hadn't arrived yet. They already knew about his little secret, but he didn't want to worry them over something that wasn't a problem. Once he felt comfortable, he began to unbutton his cufflinks. Slowly he unrolled them so they rest on his forearm. Intensely he gazed at the item cross that was securely wrapped around his wrist. "The holy lock…" He whispered while gazing at the metal object. _This the only thing that's keeping my vampire powers at bay. It's also protecting me from transforming into a ghoul. _It was crucial that he kept that lock on at all times. Still if they were any upcoming battles he needed to protect his friends, so he needed to learn how to use this power. _Somehow, someway, I'm going to turn this curse into a blessing. _

"Moka I can't take it anymore! That girl is driving me crazy!"

When Tsukune heard the familiar voice he turned around to see a pissed off Kurumu entering the classroom. Walking behind her was Moka, Mizore, and Yukari. _Crap! _Quickly he rolled up his sleeve and buttoned up the cufflinks. If they saw him messing with the lock, they'd all start overreacting.

"I'm sorry Kurumu, but please try to be patient with Kokoa. I know she could be a handful, but she's my little sister, so try to understand." Moka explained sincerely. She knew how crazy Kokoa could be, she was also very persistent. Still that was her little sister and she loved her unconditionally.

Kurumu scoffed, "Patient…Understanding… I don't know if you noticed or not, but she's been chasing us for a week now. Something has to be done about her, besides she's targeting you, aren't you tired of running all over the place?"

"Ha-ha it's not that bad," Moka smiled, trying to hide her true emotions. "I'm actually getting a lot of exercise. I've lost three pounds, I couldn't possibly feel better than I do right now," She giggled sheepishly.

With her usual calm expressionless face, Mizore quietly sucked on her blue berry lollipop. Even though she wasn't talking she was thinking the same things that Kurumu was speaking. Normally, the snow girl had a lot of patience, but this was starting to become bothersome. "Let's cut the bullshit," she randomly said. "There's only one way to handle this". Instantly her right hand took the form of ice daggers.

Chuckling nervously, a drop of sweat slid down Yukari's face. "Perhaps there's another way for us to go about this Mizore," She inferred. She was also fed up with this fiasco. Being chased around by a crazy first year student, wasn't exactly her idea of a fun school year. Still, like Moka she wanted to preserve the peace.

Before Moka could contribute to Yukari's statement, her eyes fell upon a familiar face. Smiling, she began running towards her best friend and love interest. "Tsukune!" she shouted as she held out her arms in a form of a hug.

"Moka…" He blushed as the beautiful girl came running his way. Her long pink strands flowed carelessly in the breeze. He couldn't even begin to describe how beautiful she looked, but she always looked beautiful no matter what she did. As much as he cared about the other girls, the one who had his heart was Moka. Still he could never tell her his true feelings, because he feared the other girl's reactions. Especially Kurumu, her being succubus meant that love is everything to her. Speaking of the blue haired girl, she was currently zooming pass Moka to get to Tsukune.

"Tsukune," Kurumu yelled jolting him out of his daydream. She jumped on him and wrapped her legs around his waist, while crushing his face to her large bosom. "I've missed you so much! Did you miss me?" She asked. She was so caught up in the embrace she didn't notice his face was slowly starting to change colors. The muffling sound coming from her breast caused her to look down.

"You're suffocating him Kurumu," Moka said in distress. Kurumu looked down to see Tsukune was starting to turn purple.

"Oh I'm sorry Tsukune!" she yelped. This was the way she always greeted him, so it was hard to break old habits. Before she could release him a large golden pot appeared above her head. The metal object dropped on her head, creating a loud clunking sound. Comically, the flirtatious girl dropped to the ground.

"Dumb bimbo…" Yukari murmured while lowering her wand. With a twinkle in her violet eyes, she sprung towards him "Ha-ha Tsukune!" The small girl wrapped her arms around his neck, causing him to blush. He forgot how possessive they could be.

"Y-Yukari!" He shrieked. As she held him, she began to nuzzle her head in his chest. She was enjoying the embrace so much she didn't even notice, Mizore approaching from behind.

Smirking, she placed her cold palm an inch away from the witch's back. "You should cool off Yukari," She whispered. The brunette felt a chill on her back, but she had no time to react. Instantly she was frozen in a thin sheet of crystal ice. Once she was out of the way, Mizore stepped pass the frozen girl and approached her prize. Standing behind him, she placed her soft hands on his shoulders. The snow girl leaned over and whispered in his ear seductively.

"Hey Tsukune what do you say we ditch first period and go have some alone time in the storage room."

"Mizore…" He nervously replied. His heart was beating fast now, he felt like he was about to have an anxiety attack. He was used to the girls coming onto him, but it seemed like they were getting a little more aggressive each day.

"We're still going to make that baby and like I said before, I will force you if need be," Her voice was low and enticing. The condensation from her mouth radiated onto his skin. He had never been scared and turned on at the same time, so this was a first.

Moka watched helplessly as the three kept fighting over the young man. She hated when this happened, every time she tried to get close to Tsukune one of the other girls would get in her way. She loved her girlfriends, but sometimes she felt like they were an inconvenience. All she wanted was some private undisturbed alone time with her best friend. _I doubt that will ever happen now._

Suddenly the bell rang and students began to walk fill up the classroom. Hearing the ringing, the three girls stopped there bickering and fighting. There was always time to settle things later. Right after they took their seats, Shizuka Nekonome walked through the door.

By the pep in her step, Moka guessed that she was in a good mood. Then again, she never really was in a bad one. Dropping her bag on her desk, she looked up and watched as the students took their seats. Her smiling face displayed a blissful exuberance. Ms. Nekonome was always smiling and laughing, she is a cheerful woman, so it's a given. Still today she didn't just seem happy, she seemed excited…

"Class I've got some good news, so settle down and listen up!" She grinned. Several seconds later the room had become quiet. It seemed that the students were interested in hearing about these tidings of hers. They all sat there quietly and attentively. Their eyes glued to the front of the room. "Today we have two new transfer students."

Two males walked down an empty hallway, in search of their homeroom class. The blonde on the left wore an orange long-sleeved dress shirt with a black tie. His trousers were black and loose fit. To complement the ensemble he wore black leather shoes. The red head wore a long-sleeved red dress shirt that matched his spikey auburn hair. He also had on a black tie with matching formal pants. His shoes were also black and leather. The only difference being his shoes had higher gloss causing them to shine. Overall, they cleaned up nice.

"This damn tie is so annoying," The blonde muttered while adjusting the polyester material. He hated having to dress fancy; he wanted nothing more than to wear his normal clothes. "Why do we have to dress up like this again?"

The red head sighed, "Because this is an academy and they have a dress code." He explained while looking left and right for their designated room. "It's only temporary. On a positive note at least you still get to wear orange."

"Yeah, yeah, but I still miss my tracksuit." Even though he looked dashingly handsome in his outfit, he didn't like to dress formally. He'd rather wear something more relaxing, like shorts or sweat pants for example. "Oh well…" he shrugged, as they continued walking down the hall.

When they reached the end of the foyer, they found the room they were looking for. "Room 1-3," The red head murmured. For the first time in a long time he actually felt uneasy. As much as he hated to admit it, Naruto was right, he was a little nervous. Unlike his friend he had never been to school before, this was all new to him. He didn't know what to expect. He looked to his left to see Naruto was just as relaxed as ever. He had on that usual confident smile. The red head took a deep breath while returning his gaze to the room number on the door.

"This is it…"

On the other side of the door Ms. Nekonome was finishing up her briefing. All the students were actually intrigued. Ms. Nekonome gave them some information on the new students, but also left out a lot of important things, For example, their sex, grades, and personalities. She did tell them where they were from, which is Tokyo. All they really knew was they were going to essential pieces in the school's future. It seemed the new kids were there for more than just education. Well that's what they got out of her short summary. With many things unanswered, the class became frantic and students began to randomly blurt out questions.

"How smart are they?" asked a girl with glasses asked. Its good question, since Yokai hardly had any real scholars aside from Yukari and a few others.

"Well…"

"Are they girls? And if so, how do they look?" a random boy asked with a perverted smile. Many of the other males were wondering the same thing.

"Umm…" She started to answer, but was interrupted by a female brunette.

"What school are they transferring from?"

As the class started becomes hectic again, Tsukune and his group remained quiet. Moka and Yukari seemed pretty interested in the newcomers, but instead of making a ruckus they decided to politely wait to see for themselves. Kurumu and Mizore didn't really seem all that enthusiastic. To them, it was just another ordinary day. In a way they were right, it wasn't like they hadn't gotten new students before so how was this situation any different?

"I wonder what there like…" Moka whispered to Yukari.

Yukari smiled, "Who knows? I just hope there not a bunch of weirdoes." She chuckled. "With any luck we might be able to get them to join the newspaper club."

"I can care less," Mizore mumbled while scribbling Tsukune's name over and over again in her journal. Her facial expression was bored and uninterested. There was only one person on her mind and he was sitting behind her.

Kurumu nodded her head in agreement, "Mizore's right, there's no need to get excited. I'm sure there no different from anyone else who attends this crazy ass school." Just like the snow woman, she felt no reason to get worked up.

"Hold on everyone, let's just relax," Tsukune said. He didn't want to start judging there new peers without getting to know anything about them. To him you shouldn't label someone at first glance. Appearances won't tell you anything about someone's true character that much he knew for sure. "Let's just wait and get to know them first. Like Yukari said, if they turn out to be good people, we can ask them to join our club."

Yukari laughed, "Hopefully there not girls, because once they meet our perverted president they might have a change of heart." She said. They all sighed in embarrassment, but nodded to correspond with the young witch.

"Knock! Knock!"

The whole class shifted their attention to the door. "Well that's them," she clasped her hands together and sighed. Now she didn't have to answer any more questions. She strolled on over to the entrance and slowly opened the wooden door. Smiling, she stepped over the threshold to greet them. "I'm glad you boys could make it, come on in!" She waved, before turning around to reenter the class.

"Thank you, Nekonome- sensei." They replied in unison before following her into the classroom. When Ms. Nekonome got to the middle of the room she stopped, resulting in them coming to a halt. The whole class had their eyes glued to the front, as they awaited the introduction.

"Class I'd like you to meet Naruto Uzumaki." She extended her hand towards the blonde in a welcoming fashion.

"What's up? I'm Naruto, how's it goin?" he chuckled with a foxy grin. _This doesn't seem so bad,_ he thought while gazing at the large audience.

Readjusting her hand she pointed her palm towards the red head, "And Gaara Sabaku."

"Hello… I am Gaara," he spoke softly with a respectful bow. He left out the surname, since it really wasn't a last name more so than it was a nickname. _So all these students are monsters disguised in human form? interesting... _

Once the two greeted the class, Ms. Nekonome continued. "You guys can take those two desks in the back on the far left," she said while pointing them to their assigned seats. The row she was referring to was the first one positioned alongside the wall of the door.

They nodded and went to go take their seats. As they walked, the students stared at them with different expressions. Some looked curious, while others looked creped out. To a portion of the class, they looked like a couple of freaks. You couldn't really blame them though when you consider their facial characteristics. Naruto had those whiskers, while Gaara had no eyebrows along with a Kanji for love tattoo on his forehead. To top it all off, they had on bright warm colors that screamed, "Look at me!" Still they decided not to pay it any mind; it wasn't the first time people stared at them rudely. Gaara took the second to last desk, while Naruto took the last seat behind him.

"Feel free to get acquainted with them after class," Ms. Nekonome added.

She was about to start the class, when she noticed half of the classes attention was focused elsewhere. Their pubescent orbs were glued to the new boys, like they were some kind of circus attraction. Snapping the class out of their rude Gaze, Ms. Nekonome clapped her hands together. "Alright now it's time to get started on today's lesson." She then took a piece of chalk out of her bag and proceeded to write down words on the green chalkboard.

On the other side of the class, the members of the newspaper club were also watching them, but not so obviously. Even Kurumu and Mizore peaked out of the corner of their eyes with mild interest. They were a fascinating pair to say the least.

"Well… They… seem a little different," Moka whispered. She was trying to find the right words to say, but still be polite at the same time. "But who's to say that's a bad thing right?"

"R-right… If you ask me, they bring a lot of diversity." Yukari smiled sheepishly. They seemed nice, but there was something different about them, she just couldn't put her finger on it. Shrugging, she decided not to give it too much thought. "But they seem like nice guys."

Mizore's colorful eyes locked onto them for several moments. Just by their brief introduction, she could tell how different they were from them. It was nothing particular they said because they hardly spoke. However, there mannerisms seemed different than anyone else in the class or school for that matter. She tapped the bottom of her number 2 pencil against her lips observantly. "Hmm…"

However her rival Kurumu was a lot more vocal with her opinions. "They look suspicious," she said. Just like Mizore she sensed something. Whatever it is, it's unnatural to say the least. Still not knowing made her feel uneasy. You couldn't blame her for being cautious after the events of last year. It was crucial that she remained alert. "I don't think they can be trusted. I bet you anything they have some kind of ulterior motive for transferring here. They're probably creeps," she finished with a carefree wave.

"Come on Kurumu, that's not fair," Moka stated defensively. "You should get to know someone first before you say things like that." Moka wasn't a judgmental person, though she agreed that the new guys seemed for lack of a better word exotic. Still they were there classmates, so criticizing them before getting to know them was improper. She turned back around to face Tsukune who was sitting in the seat ahead.

"Right Tsukune?" she smiled, while gazing at the young man's back expectantly. She stared at him for several seconds before frowning. His mind seemed to be elsewhere. Observing him, she noticed that his eyes were also focused on the other side of the room, "Tsukune?"

Tsukune was caught in such a focused stare; he didn't even hear the bubblegum haired girl. Everything else around him was basically just background items. All he could do was gaze at the two newcomers. He wasn't shell shocked, but he was surprised to see them out of the hospital in such a short time span. It had only been a week, there injuries weren't severe, but they were bad enough to keep any average person or even some low level monsters in the hospital for a week or two. _Is it possible that they are S class monsters?_ After a couple seconds of spacing out, he had finally heard Moka's soft Feminine voice. Blinking Several times he turned his head to look back at her.

"Right Moka," He grinned reassuringly. Once she got his attention and response she smiled back before starting on her classwork. Turning back around, he stared at his desk. On the wooden surface was his English book, a piece of lined paper, and a black ballpoint pen. He sighed while gazing at the objects on the desk.

With those new guys, he couldn't focus on class or anything else for that matter. He had been feeling uneasy for a week now, ever since he found them unconscious in the woods. He wasn't automatically making them out to be bad people; he just thought it would be wise to try and get to know them a bit. He could feel the energy radiating off them, it was warm and serene. However there was also some gloominess as well. Tsukune's new vampire powers allowed him to sense certain energies. He wasn't in complete control of it yet, but there energy was so powerful he was able to sense it without even trying to. Gazing across the room, he gave the two new students one final glance. His chestnut orbs narrowed in wonder.

"Just who are they?" He whispered.

**To be continued…**

**That's it for chapter 3 I hoped you guys liked it. In my opinion it was nowhere near as good as the first two, except for their being less punctual errors. Still I do think the ending came out better than I expected. Before any of you ask, I'll tell you now. No, Sasuke won't be a part of this story. That little short part with Naruto thinking about him was just to show how strong their bond is. So I hope I cleared that up. Next chapter should be more interesting so lookout for the update. Please review and tell me what you thought of the chapter. **


	4. Chapter 4 : Settling In

Finally, I finished this chapter it feels like I've been working on it forever, but it is complete at last. There's a couple of things I want to throw out there since I haven't told you guys much about my plans for this fic.

As you know there will be pairings, but the chances of there being a harem are really slim. It's not that I don't like harems because I do, but there's just so many of them already and I want this story have a romantic aspect and I don't think I could pull that off with Naruto and Gaara banging everything in sight. However I do like deception, so I might change my mind down the line but I have to admit it's highly doubtful.

Another thing I wanted to discuss was the Rosario Vampire supporting characters. Some of you have already stated that most of the minor characters don't get any love when it comes to this crossover and I agree. This fic will be different, I plan on putting as many of the minor characters in as possible and I'm not just talking about the female ones either. I'm also talking about Gin, Haiji, and Fong Fong as well.

Well that's all I had to say, anyways I'm thankful for all the reviews I got from the last update. I appreciate it, I hope you guys continue.

Enjoy the chapter! R&R

**Chapter 4: Settling In **

Shizuka Nekonome was sitting quietly behind her desk while filing her finger nails. Her slender legs were crossed in a feminine manner as she sat there complacently, while looking up every thirty seconds to observe her students. Class was pretty boring, but she wasn't complaining since the period was almost over. After all, the only thing she could do was sit and wait since everything else was already taken care of. She had already given the class their assignment over a half an hour ago. The assignment that was given was simple, read the story _"The Most Dangerous Game"_ by Richard Connell.

_This short story was a popular one, which was read all throughout the human world. It was about a man named Sanger Rainsford, who was traveling to Rio with his companion Whitney to capture a legendary big cat. When he hears gunfire he drops his pipe, so he jumps into the Caribbean Sea to retrieve it. After he realizes that he wouldn't be able to make it back to the boat, he swam to Ship-trap Island which was famous for shipwrecks. He finds a palatial villa, occupied by two Cossacks. The owner of the place was General Zaroff and his large, deaf, mute servant Ivan. The general was also a big game hunter, so he invited him to dinner. Zaroff told him that he had become bored with hunting animals, deeming it to be not challenging enough for him. He then asks Rainsford to join him in his inhumane game. Appalled, Rainsford immediately refuses. The general then gives him an ultimatum. His first choice was to be the next person hunted, while the second was to be whipped to death by Ivan. Obviously he chose the former and the most dangerous game began. _

With the story being so brief (a little under 9,000 words), Ms. Nekonome decided to let the students work in groups without her interference. They were high school kids, so there was no reason for her to baby them. Besides they knew what to do, so reiterating it would have been a waste of time, especially for those students who had already had her class before. Unfortunately that left her with nothing to do but read a few magazines until the end of class.

Once they finished reading there were to start on their homework in class, which consisted of comprehension questions, vocabulary words, and journal entries. Journal entries were done at the beginning of class, so they were working on their homework now. Most of the class had already finished reading the book and had already started working. Those who hadn't finished were the ones who were distracted by miscellaneous things. Some students were sleeping while others were too lazy and decided to do the work tonight. There were a few girls gossiping about the newest fashions and the latest news, while the boys talked about sports and of course… girls.

The joyful woman looked up to see some of the kids preparing to pack. Her eyes wondered to the left of the class and locked on the new students. The red head seemed to be finishing up the class assignments, while the blonde was had barely finished reading and had just begun writing on his single sheet of lined paper.

Still the fact that both of them were still working so hard made her smile.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Ok class; don't forget there's a test on Friday! Be sure to study your vocabulary words, there written on the board if you need them!" She screamed over the bell, as the students picked up their book bags and began to walk out of class. As the kids exited, some whispered things about the new students on their way out of the room. A few girls thought they were kind of cute, but some of the others thought they looked weird. Most of the boys didn't know what to think of them. Other than the way they dressed and their unfamiliar scent, they seemed pretty normal.

While Gaara finished up the assignment, Naruto began to cram his books into his backpack. Once all the books were in and the bag was zipped, he stood up and slung it over his shoulder. He was packed and ready to go; all he had to do was wait for Gaara.

He walked past the red heads desk and sat on the one in front of it. Leaning over he looked at his paper to see it was filled up, top to bottom. The single sheet of paper was filled to the brim with words.

"Damn! That's a lot of writing" Naruto said dumbly. His blue eyes gazed at the all the complicated words, as he scratched his right cheek. "I can't believe you did all this so quickly."

While jotting down his name and date on the far left corner, he replied, "I'm used to reading documents and filling out papers." Standing up, he grabbed his books and gently placed them in his black bag, which was similar to Naruto's aside from a few extra compartments.

"But to be honest anyone could do this, it takes very little effort."

Irritated, Naruto huffed before jolting his head in the opposite direction. "Show off…" He said while grimacing. The fact that Gaara could finish in such little time was amazing. While it was an impressive feat, it was still a little depressing when he barely even answered one comprehension question. The assignment wasn't all that hard, but he just had a short attention span so it was difficult for him to remember what he had read, which forced him to go back and read certain parts over again. "Anyways, you ready to go?"

"Yes, I just need to turn this in first." He replied while picking up his finished homework assignment.

Raising an eyebrow Naruto replied, "Shouldn't you keep it to study for the test? I mean, it's not do till Friday anyway."

"I don't think I'll need to study, but if I do I'll just use the book."

Naruto chuckled to himself, "Yeah I guess I forgot about that." He responded while turning around. He was about to walk towards the door when someone blocked his path.

"You're Naruto, right?"

Naruto looked up to see a male with dark-brown hair of average height standing before him. He wore a white dress shirt with a red tie and some tan slacks.

"Yeah…And you are?"

The young man grinned, before extending his arm open palmed. "I'm Tsukune; I don't know if you remember…but we've met before."

"We did?" The blonde questioned while shaking his hand.

He looked very familiar, Naruto couldn't remember where, but he knew he had seen him somewhere. No matter how long ago it is, he could never forget a face. Blinking several times he tilted his head while observing him. Slowly it all started to come back to him.

"Hold on," He said while pointing an accusing finger at the stranger. "You're that guy from the woods!"

Smiling, the young man nodded his head in confirmation. "Yes, I am Tsukune Aono." He repeated.

"Oh I see." he grinned. "Wow do we owe you one."

Gaara sat there quietly in his usual stance, arms folded across the chest while leaning against the desk, with his eyes closed. He didn't seem to be at all interested, but despite this he was listening to their conversation.

"Hey Gaara," he said while elbow nudging him in the rib. "Tsukune here is the guy I was telling you about, the one who found us in the forest." he informed his droned friend. As the blonde expected, hearing those words got his attention.

"Is that so?" Gaara questioned, while raising his head to make eye contact with the stranger. _So he's the one? _He thought.

"Yep," Naruto replied with a smirk. "If it wasn't for him we'd probably be dead right now…"

Tsukune chuckled nervously, while waving his hands. "I wouldn't go that far, I just happened to be heading in that direction." He replied modestly, while rubbing the back of his head. Taking that kind of credit made him feel really uncomfortable. "Honestly, anyone could have found you guys."

Naruto smacked him hard on the back, causing his head to jerk forward. "Ah! Don't be so modest."

The brunette winced, his upper back burned from the hard yet friendly strike. "Ha-ha no really it was nothing. I was just passing through no need to-

"Still…" Gaara randomly interrupted.

Anticipating the worst, Tsukune gazed at the silent red head waiting for the worst. He was way different than the happy go lucky blonde standing next to him. _He seems to be more quiet and reserved. _He thought, while waiting for him to continue. His green eyes seemed to be watching him like a hawk. _And a little intimidating,_ he mentally noted.

"Still… We appreciate your help." He finished with a nod of approval. "Thank you," he added solemnly.

Surprised by his gratitude, Tsukune stared at him for a few more seconds in wonder. He really didn't expect to get a thank you. He had just assumed he would just sit there and say nothing. After all Gaara did give off that vibe that said "stay the hell away from me." Once he finally got over his shock he simply replied,

"Anytime"

Now that he had conversed with them for about a minute, he was starting to feel more comfortable around them, now he can ask a few subtle questions. "So…I see you have healed up nice."

"Uhh…What do you mean?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.

"Well when I found you in the woods, you had a few nasty injuries," He explained, while scratching the top of his head nervously. "But now it looks like they were never there."

"Ohhhh…That, well I've always healed really fast for some odd reason." He said while gazing at the unmarked skin on his left forearm. He didn't want to lie, since he seemed like a trustworthy guy, but it was prudent that they kept the truth under wraps for the time being. "I guess you can say I have tough skin." He chuckled.

Tsukune still didn't understand, but just nodded in ignorance. _It's obvious there's something he's not telling me, but still I shouldn't pry. _Shrugging it off, he turned his attention on the calm green eyed wonder currently leaning against a desk. All of his wounds were gone as well, which was strange. Especially the crack he had on the left side of his face. That one raised a lot of questions in his head, so he couldn't resist.

"What about you Gaara?"

Uninterestedly, the red head raised his head to show him he was listening. He didn't say anything; he just stared at him observingly.

"Umm…Your skin, I see…It's all together."

Gaara narrowed his sea green eyes, "Why are you so curious?"

No Tsukune felt really tense. Maybe he had asked too many questions. He didn't want them to think that he was trying to pump information out of them, which he was but not for bad reasons. "Well, I was just wondering, it's not every day that you see a yokai with that kind of healing ability."

Gaara exhaled while lowering his head in mild amusement. "So…You want to know what kind of monsters we are correct?"

Tsukune shook his head rapidly to reprehend him. He knew that it was against school rules to reveal your monster identity. "Well…No I'm just… fascinated by your abilities," he responded. "It's interesting that you two have similar powers, are you guys by any chance…Related?"

His sudden question caught the stoic boy off guard. He didn't show it on his face, but he was dumbfounded. _We look nothing alike, so how could he even think such a thing? _He wondered to himself. Yes they both healed fast, but for separate reasons. Naruto had the nine tails, which had amazing recuperating powers. He on the other hand had his sand armor, so all of his injuries were minor. With that being said, Gaara decided to put his theory to rest.

"Actually-

"Yeah we're cousins!" Naruto chuckled while looping his arm around Gaara's neck in a buddy fashion. This time Gaara couldn't keep the sense of dread off his face.

During this past week, he had spent a lot of time talking with his fellow jinchuriki so they can try and get to know one another better. They had learned a lot about each other, something's were fun facts while others were on more personal level. Nonetheless, he still didn't think he'd ever get used to Naruto's randomness in social situations. Sometimes it felt like he did these kinds of things on purpose just to mix it up, but then maybe he thought he was helping out. With Naruto you could never be sure_, just what the hell is wrong with him?_

_What there really related!_ Tsukune inwardly screamed. He was just using that question as a bail out to avoid suspicion.

"Hey do you want to hang out with Gaara and me during lunch?" Naruto randomly asked with a foxy grin.

"Huh?" None of the male students wanted to hang out with him and that includes new students who didn't know him.

"Well since we're new here, we really don't know are way around the school. I was just thinking we can all eat together and then you could give us a tour." He finished matter-of-factly.

The young man surprised at his proposal. He didn't have many male friends aside from Gin and he only associated with him during club meetings. Most of the males on campus despised him for having such beautiful girls flirting with him on daily basis. May be it was because they weren't the jealous type. Naruto seemed to be too friendly to be jealous over something so trivial. Gaara on the other hand seemed to have a complete indifference when it came to socializing with others.

Once the concept of having another male friend sunk in he grinned. "Yeah…That sounds great."

"Hey Tsukune," a girl called out.

Tsukune turned around to see Moka, Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore headed his way. He didn't know if he should be happy or nervous, so only time would tell. He knew Moka and Yukari were okay with their new classmates, but Kurumu didn't think too highly of them and Mizore also seemed a little suspicious.

The four girls stopped directly in front of the young man to address him.

"Tsukune, are you ready to go?" Moka asked melodically. First period had been over for two minutes now, and there was a seven minute intermission between periods. That meant that there was a nine minute interval between each class. She and Tsukune both had math so they usually walked together. The bubble gum haired girl wanted to walk with him alone to the vending machine, but of course the other girls had to follow.

Just trying to grab five minutes alone with him was like pulling teeth, it was an incredibly hard task that involved a lot of calculating. As bad is it sounds sometimes, she wished it was just the two of them again, like it used to be. _If only we could be alone,_ she thought while sighing. Pushing those thoughts aside she shook her head to break out of her daze. Once she had regained her concentration, she noticed the two other males quietly standing behind Tsukune. _Those are the two new boys_.

"I-I'm sorry… Did we interrupt?" She asked Tsukune.

He shook his head negatively with a smile to correct her, "No…I was just talking to our new classmates."

Moka happily smiled at his response. The only other male friend he had was Gin and they didn't really hang out too much. She felt it was time he made new male friends so he could talk about guy stuff. "I'm glad to see you're making new friends Tsukune," she responded.

"Well…Aren't you going to introduce us?" Kurumu questioned with some hostility.

"Oh!" Tsukune practically yelped. "Sorry about that, umm…" He turned to look at the guys and then back at the girls he just didn't know where to start. "Uhh… Alright…" He replied while running his fingers through his scalp.

"Naruto…Gaara…" He started. Using his index finger he pointed at the busty succubus. "These are my friends, Kurumu Kurono, Mizore Shriayuki, Moka Akashiya and Yukari Sendo." His finger moved in unison with each name he called.

"Hi…" Kurumu said, while holding back a glare. Even though she had her suspicions, she would try to be nice for the sake of her friends. "It's nice...To meet... You," she forced the words to come out while holding a fake smile. She knew Tsukune and Moka were right, it was wrong to judge a book by its cover, but she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Even now, that she had up close and personal view, made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She might have been wrong, maybe they are nice guys after all.

"Hey," was all Mizore said while making eye contact with her new classmates. The snow woman was also wary, but she was much calmer than her big breasted friend. Sedately, she sucked on her lollipop as her eyes wondered back and forth between the two. _The blonde one seems to be carefree; _she mentally noted observing his facial expression. He stood there with his hands in his pockets with a serene smile. _But that doesn't mean he's unaware of the things around him. _She knew well not to judge a book by its cover, making miscalculations could lead to disaster. He could be hiding a murderous personality underneath that smile.

Her colorful orbs moved to the right and settled on the red head that seemed uninterested in conversing. His posture was different from his friends; it was much more relaxed and composed. Casually he leaned against his desk, with his arms folded across his chest professionally. Unlike Naruto, his face was completely devoid of emotion.

_What's his story? _

She couldn't read him for some reason; it was as if he was wearing a mask. The snow woman started narrowing her eyes as she continued to gaze at the boy across from her. The simple fact that she couldn't come up with a proper resolution, really started to annoy the hell out of her. Those green eyes showed no signs of life. She continued to watch him until he looked up, causing her to quickly look away.

"It's a pleasure to make your Acquaintance," Yukari said cheerfully. Being the youngest in their group, she was still a little naïve so she couldn't really sense anything negative from their new class mates. Sure she was smart, but as far as maturity goes she had a lot of growing up to do. While looking at them all she saw was a friendly blonde and quiet monotone red head, nothing more nothing less. In her eyes they seemed trustworthy, just because they looked different didn't mean that they were any better_. I don't see what the big deal is, they seem like nice guys to me, Kurumu's just stupid. _

"Cool, I look forward to getting to know you all." The blonde responded with his usual exuberance.

Naruto subtly looked over each girl. They were all gorgeous; it was hard to believe that underneath their flawless skin was a hideous beast. He had to admit they were more attractive than most of the girls back home, he would even go so far as to say they were even more developed. The pink haired one seemed to be sweet; there was sudden warmness about her that made Naruto feel relaxed. _Well she's pretty_, he thought with slightly flushed cheeks. Her skin looked healthy, silky smooth to be precise and she had a perfect figure. _I bet the guys at this school are lining up to talk to her. _He then shifted his gaze to observe another one of the girls.

The small one to the right of her seemed to be nice to, but he wondered what a girl her age was doing in high school? _She has to be same age as Moegi or maybe a little older. _When comparing the two girls, the brunette was a about an inch taller so it was possible. Maybe she's one of those kids who are older than they appear. Regardless, she was a cute kid and seemed like a loyal friend.

Next his blue orbs shifted to the purple haired girl with sucker in her mouth._ Another gorgeous girl,_ he noted while observing her momentarily. Her body language was similar to that of his friends, she seemed like she could care less. _Isn't she delightful?_ He said to himself sarcastically. despite this, he was positive he'd get along with her since he had several friends who acted in a similar fashion. Gaara, Sasuke, and Neji were prime examples.

Then he turned his attention to the last girl. She was just as beautiful as the others, if not more beautiful. Her body was well proportioned, toned legs, and a wide waist. She had a perfect hour glass shape. Those were all great assets, but those weren't even her best features. Her most prominent feature was her breasts. _Damn those are huge!_ He thought while glancing out of the corner of his eye. Never in his life had he seen a teenage girl with a bosom that big, they looked like they were going to burst out of their confines. Once again his cheeks began to turn a light shade of red. When he finally managed to lock away his inner pervert, his blue eyes found their way back to her face he noticed something that made him uncomfortable. She had an annoyed scowl on her face as she looked back in his direction.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh nothing! Nothing at all," he replied nervously while waving his hands. _Wow I don't think she likes me too much._ He noticed how her eyes narrowed when Tsukune introduced them. She was a feisty one indeed, but he was used to dealing with high-maintenance girls from being around Sakura and Ino. He just shrugged; _maybe she'll warm up to us eventually. _

"Anyways…" He started while scratching the back of his head, indicating his embarrassment. "I was just asking Tsukune if he wanted to join us during lunch." He was really uncomfortable, even though he was a social guy he felt kind of strange being around all these attractive girls, who were clearly different from the young women he usually associates with. Staring at the colored tile floor, he continued. "If you guys want… maybe we can all hang out together?"

Being the neighborly guy that he was, he liked to reach out to others. Ever since he had first started gaining acceptance, he wanted to make friends with anyone who might be willing to get to know him. Pushing people to the side or insulting them because they were different was something he loathed. Since he didn't have the best childhood, he could sympathize with other people who were similar to his self. Now he was trapped in another dimension without knowing if he would ever return home but here he was trying to make new friends, who seemed to be skeptical about them.

The fact that they were skeptical about them didn't bother him in the least. It only made him more determined to earn their trust. Tsukune already seemed like a cool guy in his eyes so he wasn't too worried about him, but the girls…They were a different story. As nice as they were, he could still tell that pink haired girl along with the tiny brunette, still felt a little uneasy. Trying to connect with the quiet girl would also prove to be difficult as well; she didn't seem interested in getting to know the duo. Still she wasn't the worst one, the well-endowed girl who was still glaring at him was the one he needed to worry about.

There was a chance that she might have caught him staring at her breast. Naruto really wanted to face palm, he was usually pretty clever when it came to checking out girls unnoticed. All he could do was hope that she didn't see him; he was only looking for about three seconds at most. Despite the slightly awkward atmosphere, he wanted to start off on the right foot with these girls.

After about several undisturbed seconds he saw the bubblegum haired girl tilt her head with a charming smile. Her soft hands were interlaced with one another in a feminine matter.

"Of course, we'd love to join you guys."

Hearing Moka's declaration, Yukari raised her violet eyes to find Moka smiling. She looked pretty confident in her decision. If Moka and Tsukune trusted them, than she had no reason to doubt their character.

"Sounds like a plan!" She proclaimed.

With two girls already on board, he smiled appreciatively. He was actually expecting Moka and Yukari to accept. Now there was the matter of the last two females. Mizore and Kurumu still seemed indecisive.

Satisfied with their answer, he focused his expectant gaze on them. They were different, unlike their female counterparts they seemed to have a guard up and a strong one at that.

Finally showing interest, Gaara also awaited an answer to his comrades' proposal. Either way he really he'd be fine with outcome. He probably would be more comfortable with the original participants for this casual get together. If it were just him, Naruto, and Tsukune he'd feel more comfortable, because he didn't really like dealing with women and their attitudes. He always made sure to stay away from Temari during that 'time of the month'. Dealing with a pissed off blond for three to five days was an unpleasant prospect. Even kankuro kept his distance and teasing her happened to be a hobby of his.

Still, with all that said maybe he should try and get to know these girls. He didn't really interact with women, even though there were plenty of girls back home who would throw themselves at him when the opportunity strikes. That being said, he couldn't tell if they were interested in him for his status as a Kage or for himself. The only girl he could call friend was his apprentice Matsuri, but nowadays it seemed like she wants more than a friendship from him. As much as he cared about her, he wasn't sure; he couldn't quite place his feelings. While she saw him as a potential lover or even husband, he didn't know if his feelings for her went passed the lines of friendship.

_Whatever the case, maybe Naruto has the right idea; it wouldn't hurt to form friendships with the opposite sex. _

Just as he was thinking that, a feeling of weariness came over him, forcing him to halt his contemplation. Somebody was watching him and they were observing cautiously. He thought he felt a pair of eyes magnifying his form earlier, but he didn't give it much thought. However, this time there were no doubts.

Bringing his gaze off the ground, his insomniac eyes stumbled upon a girl with light purple hair. For a few moments, he looked at her with watchful eyes. Currently she was looking at Naruto and Tsukune. _That's strange;_ he could have sworn she was staring.

"It's fine with me," Mizore lethargically responded. There wasn't much for her to think about, she was going to go regardless of the circumstances. There was no way in hell she was going to leave the other girls alone with her Tsukune. The reason it took so long for her to reply was because her mind was elsewhere. She was still trying to figure out the mystery behind the quiet red head. _He's so hard to read, the way he behaves leaves much to the imagination._ Somehow, she was going to find out who he really was and this was the perfect opportunity. Before stealing one final glance at Gaara, she turned to look at Kurumu who still hadn't decided.

The busty succubus stood there with her had her hands on her hips as she tapped her feet thoughtfully. _Why do they trust them so much? _She asked herself, while avoiding the eyes that were on her, she stared at the wall on the south side of the classroom_. I know there up to no good, they have to be. _Kurumu didn't want to judge them; but she couldn't help but feel this way. Last year the newspaper club tried to make friends with others, but it always ended badly.

Almost every time they reached out to someone, they were betrayed, so how could she know this wouldn't end the same. _This Naruto guy looks nice, but I bet he's a jackass underneath that smile. _She narrowed her eyes while glancing in the blonde's direction_._ _Not only that… I could have sworn I saw him staring at my tits!_

"Come on Kurumu we don't have all day," Mizore muttered impatiently.

"Alright! Alright! I'll go…" She muttered under her breath. _It's just one lunch… it's not like we're going to become buddy buddy with them. I hope…_

After her long awaited decision Naruto grinned, "Alright then… I guess will see you there…"

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

That bell was the bell, there nine minutes were up and it meant all seven of them were late. Second period was about to commence and they were still lounging around in their homeroom.

"You guys should get going you're going to be late!" Ms. Nekonome shouted over the bell. She didn't have a second period to teach so she had a whole hour of peace.

"Crap…" Tsukune muttered. "Come on Moka, we should get going," he said while heading for the door. Moka followed him as did the rest of his female companions. "See you guys later…" He waved back to the two boys who were still lingering.

"Later," Naruto waved.

"We should probably be going as well," Gaara remarked. He walked over to Ms. Nekonome's desk and presented her with his finished assignment. He placed the homework on her wooden desk.

"Good job Gaara," She said while smiling brightly at the young man. "I'm glad to see you work so diligently on your first day!"

"Thank you." he closed his insomniac eyes and nodded appreciatively.

Naruto stood by the door and waited for him patiently. Once the red head was done, they both walked out of the room and headed to their next class. As they walked down the narrow hallway, the blonde noticed that there were still a few students late. A guy with dark grey hair was running towards them. He had on round framed glasses with thick lenses. In his hands were several books, in which he was currently fumbling as he sprinted toward the young men.

"Excuse me!" He yelled. Naruto immediately stepped aside to avoid collision with the clumsy guy. The blonde turned around and watched as the boy bolted down the hall and then he made a left once he got to an intersection.

"He sure is in a hurry," Naruto commented.

"He's late… As are we," Gaara stated. Even though he didn't show it on his face, he was slightly annoyed that they were going to be tardy for another class on their first day. Still, he couldn't blame Naruto for their tardiness since he was aware of the time, but decided not to say anything. Besides he wasn't exactly punctual himself.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah… I guess I lost track a time, my bad."

Gaara exhaled, but nodded. "We're not too late, so it should be alright considering it's our first day."

The blonde nodded in agreement. "Yeah…That's right huh?" He smirked. "If the teachers ask we could just say we got lost or something."

"That's true, but we shouldn't make this a habit."

Naruto waved his hands defensively "I know, I don't plan on being late all the time, I'm just saying it's a good excuse to use when you're new somewhere." This time, Naruto was going to take school seriously. He remembered what his mother told him before she departed from his psyche. Among all the things she wanted for him, education was one of the more important requests. He remembered laughing about how she was right about fearing his grades, but now that he had a second chance; he was going to work hard this time around. Narrowing his eyes, his hands were clenched into a tight fist. _I'm going to make you proud mom, I promise. _He thought with a look of passion and determination.

"Trust me; I plan on making the best of this opportunity."

Once again the red head nodded, "That's good to hear."

Naruto smiled, "Yeah I'm ready for anything this school has to throw at me!" He declared while raising a clenched fist. His declaration was a little loud so his voice echoed throughout the halls. "So where is this art class?"

"It's in room 2-5, we're almost there." Gaara replied, as they rounded a corner. Digging into his shirt pocket he pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to him. Naruto unfolded the small piece of paper and began read give it a read. While looking carefully looking over the schedule he began to smile. He didn't really have a chance to look at the red heads schedule, but Gaara told him he had art, so he figured they might as well walk together.

**Class Schedule **

**Student name/ Birthday/ ****Homeroom teacher **

**Gaara Sabaku/ January 19/ Shizuka Nekonome**

**1.) English, ****Nekonome Shizuka 1-3**

**2.) Art, Ishigami Hitomi 2-5**

**3.) Physical ED, Okuto Kotsubo Gym**

**4.) Math, Ririko Kagome 2-2**

**5.) Cooking, Aspara 3-8**

**6.) History, Suzuki Mitsuru 1-5**

Naruto dug deep into the pockets of his trousers to locate his schedule. He had a lot of miscellaneous items in there, so it took a few seconds to find the damn thing. Taking out a crumpled up piece of paper, Naruto slowly began to unfold it. His blue eyes carefully scanned the printed sheet of paper, "Hmm..."

**Class Schedule**

**Student name /Birthday /Homeroom teacher **

**Naruto Uzumaki /October 10 /Shizuka Nekonome**

**1.) English, **** Nekonome Shizuka 1-3**

**2.) Art, Ishigami Hitomi 2-5**

**3.) Cooking, Aspara 3-8**

**4.) Math, Ririko Kagome 2-2**

**5.) Physical ED, Okuto Kotsubo Gym**

**6.) History, Suzuki Mitsuru 1-5 **

"Sweet," he said with a foxy grin before giving Gaara back his agenda. "We basically have the same schedule, excluding gym and cooking."

"Great," Gaara replied while refolding the paper and stuffing it back in his shirt pouch. He didn't show it on his face, but he was happy with the schedule.

As the young men approached the art room, Naruto brought up something interesting.

"So…" He started, while gazing up at the ceiling lights. The expression that was on his face was one of wonder. "What do you think of them?"

"Huh?"

"Tsukune and those girls," Naruto clarified.

This time the red head turned to face him as they stopped right in front of their art class. He put his hand on the door knob before responding, "I-I… don't know." Since he didn't really talk to them, he didn't know what to think. They seemed okay, but they were still strangers "They seem alright, what do you think?" He asked as he started turning the nob.

"I like them, though they do seem a little strange," he remarked. Tsukune seemed kind of shy and modest, so he was automatically weird to Naruto since he was the exact opposite. Still, he looked trustworthy, but those girls… He didn't know what to expect from them. _But not knowing is what makes it so damn interesting, _the blonde smirked. Besides, he and Gaara weren't exactly normal either.

"Will find out eventually," He grinned.

Gaara nodded before pushing the door open,then they quietly entered.

**Lunch Begins**

The bell rang signaling the end of fourth period and the start of lunch. Today was a slow moving day, so all the students were a bit sluggish. Ririko Kagome watched as her students slowly stuffed their books into their bags and departed toward the cafeteria. Today had been an unfulfilling day full of the usual tedious work, but there was no since in complaining since tediousness was part of the job description. Her problem was that none of her students needed any assistance. They all seemed to grasp general concept of geometry, which in essence was good but also troublesome. They weren't experts but they understood it enough to get a passing grade.

She was hoping that she'd have a young man to tutor and keep her company. Having a young man sitting hunched over reading a mathematics book, while being whipped repeatedly by her was something she could only dream of nowadays. Being the kinky woman that she was, she wasn't into basic methods of educating. Even if any of her students were struggling they would have to be male for her to truly be inspired. Not to say she wouldn't help out the female students, she just seemed to gravitate and relate better to the boys. However it couldn't just be any ordinary boy, he had to have a scent. A scent that was so powerful it would intoxicate her with the briefest inhale. There was only one man on campus she knew of who had a scent that fit that description.

"Tsukune…" She whispered yearningly.

Ever since that incident last year, Tsukune had been distant. Though he and Moka forgave her, he decided not to ask for tutoring lessons. It was a pity considering how strong and rare his scent was. Tsukune still was her student, but she knew her chances at getting some alone time with him were very slim. _Since Tsukune is out of the question so I'm going to have to find someone else. _Lifting her brown eyes she surveyed the classroom as the students continued to exit. As she watched the kids leave she couldn't find anyone tempting. They were all so…Ordinary. _I need someone new,_ she thought as she felt her body temperature rise. _Someone fresh,_ she squirmed helplessly in her chair while rubbing her thighs together trying to locate the source of her random arousal. There was a strong aroma flowing through the room's atmosphere. _Someone..._

_blonde. _

Her thin brows rose while gazing at her two new students that were heading out the door.

"Man that was brutal…" Naruto screeched as they walked out of their fourth period math class. He didn't understand anything that she was saying. It was like she was speaking a foreign language, but instead of Spanish or french, it was numbers and shapes. All the numbers and equations on the chalkboard just seemed like numbers and letters integrating.

"Yeah it was tough, but I don't think it's as difficult as you make it out to be." Gaara replied informally. He also had some difficulty with this version of math, but he was able to understand just enough for him to manage. "This was our first day, I'm sure you'll understand sooner or later."

"Speak for yourself," the blonde scoffed while scratching his hair. "That was ten times harder than my training with the pervy sage."

Amused Gaara nodded, but didn't reply to the statement. He knew Naruto wasn't really book smart, but to be honest he was no genius either. He was slightly above average when it came to intellectual prowess so he was a quick learner; however the math was a lot harder than he previously believed.

When the red head didn't answer, he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before speaking. "Anyways what do you think's there serving for lunch?"

"I'm not sure," he replied tiredly. He really didn't care as long it was edible he'd be satisfied.

Naruto smirked, "I hope it's Ramen!" It had been a whole month since he had enjoyed the delicious noodles that were Ichiraku Ramen. Being stuck on a broken down ship with three males and only fish food was an unpleasant voyage. Not to say he wasn't grateful, he just didn't understand why they couldn't bring some ramen or at least some barbeque pork. As the two walked down the hall, Naruto heard a soft feminine voice call out his name.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

He turned around attentively to see Ms. Ririko standing outside of door with one hand on her supple hips, while the other one gestured him to come with her index finger. _What this about? _He wondered. Inwardly shrugging he turned around to face his friend, "Well… I guess I'll meet you in the cafeteria."

"Alright," Gaara nodded, before he continued walking down the hall.

As the red head disappeared into the traffic of wondering students, Naruto turned back around paced toward Ms. Kagome. As he got closer he could have sworn he saw her lick her lips sensually. Stopping right in front of her he shoved his hands in his pockets while staring at his math teacher.

"Yes… Ririko-Sensei?"

"Naruto," she started while tapping her heels against the tile. "I couldn't help but notice that you were struggling with today's lesson," she said with a smile. Her eyes seemed cheerful, but behind those beautiful orbs was a mind filled with sexual hunger and mischief. "I can tutor you if you'd like?" She asked while placing her soft hand on his shoulder.

Observing the small hand that rested on his shoulder, he swallowed the lump in his throat. His cheeks became flushed as she started rubbing. "Y-Yeah it was a little difficult, but I'm sure I'll be fine." He was really starting to become uncomfortable. "Thanks for the offer sensei, but I think I'm going to try to do this on my own."

Hearing him decline was very disappointing, but she wasn't one to give up so easily. "Are you sure? Because your first test is coming on Friday and you need to be ready."

Naruto smirked, "Don't worry I'll be ready." His eyes filled with an intense confidence that could only be found in someone who shared his passion to succeed. "I'll study hard and I'll pass. No sweat."

"Hmm… You sure make it sound easy. What makes you so confident?" She asked.

"I'll pass because I never give up until I achieve my goal," He responded.

His response intrigued her; she had never met a student who made something so hard sound so elementary. The way he looked at things was different, but she liked his optimism. That confidence of his left her with plenty of opportunities.

"This math is difficult, even more complicated than the math that's taught in human high schools." She warned.

"Trust me it's nothing I can't handle," he smirked. On the outside he seemed confident, but on the inside he knew he was in over his head. There was absolutely no way he can pass without someone's assistance. Even so, he would try and if he failed he'd seek help.

"Alright then if you think you can pass without my assistance, I'll support you one hundred percent."

"Ha-ha thanks Ririko-sensei." With that taken care of, he turned around and headed toward the cafeteria.

"But…" she continued causing him to stop. He didn't turn around to make eye contact; he just stood there and listened. "If you don't have a passing grade by the end of this month you will receive tutoring rather you like it or not. Understand…Naruto-Kun?"

Hearing the added endearment was strange, but he nodded in agreement. "Yes sensei..." He then continued pacing toward the lunch area. He appreciated her offer, but this was something he needed to do alone. He wasn't going to ask for assistance until he had given it a shot. He has already proven his independence since he was young by taking care of himself. Now he needed to prove his independence in education. Not only that, he had a feeling that she was coming onto him. He wasn't sharpest nail in the toolshed, but he knew when a woman was flirting. As attractive as she was, he still couldn't help but fill a little weirded out by her advances. _Besides Ririko sensei seems like one of those teachers who takes her job a little too seriously for my taste. _As he strolled down the hall he saw a boy's restroom come into view. _I better take a leak while I have the chance. _

X-X-X-X-X-X

Tsukune walked through the crowded lunch area with a porcelain tray that had six compartments. The largest compartment held his spaghetti which was the main focus of the meal. The smaller sections were occupied by a carton of milk, an apple, toasted bread and a pack of carrots. At first glance it wasn't all that appealing since it was process food instead of homemade, but nevertheless it was better than nothing. The brunette stopped abruptly and began to look for a place to sit.

He needed to find an empty table big enough to seat everyone comfortably. Most of the time a small task like that would be simple, but today the cafeteria was full. Students that usually ate outside or in other areas of the school were all jammed pack in one room. Sighing, Tsukune looked back in forth in all directions. Almost every table was occupied by four or more. _Any other day the cafeteria would be half full at most, so what makes today so different?_ Tsukune wondered to himself.

Looking around he didn't see any stage equipment so he knew there wasn't a rally that was taking place. If there was, they would have been notified earlier in the day. That notion aside, the only explanation he could come up with was that it was the second week of school, meaning that half of these students were freshmen. The group that held the second largest percent was the seniors. Since it was there last year at the academy, the popular seniors always had a few tables reserved.

Just when he was about to give up, he saw a red head on the other side of the room sitting alone. He appeared to be deep in thought, as he sat there complacently with his elbows propped on the desk and his fingers interlaced. Immediately recognizing him, Tsukune started walking towards the unsuspecting teen.

"Gaara…" Hearing his name he looked up to see Tsukune standing there with a smile on his face and a plate in his hands. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," the red head wearily replied while making brief eye contact with his new acquaintance.

The brunette placed his meal on the table before sitting directly across from him. As Tsukune began to eat, he couldn't help but noticed that Gaara wasn't eating his food. He was just staring at his hamburger questionably. His green eyes observed the bun, before wondering down to the patty. _If I didn't know any better I'd say he never had a burger before_, he thought. Burgers were common food among teenagers and children across the world, so how could this be his first time trying one?

After staring at the sandwich for what seemed like forever, he picked up the burger and brought it up to his face. Curiously he sniffed it a few times before biting into the beef sandwich. His chews were slow and subtle, as if to savor it. Once he swallowed the broken down food, Tsukune asked him a question.

Chuckling he said, "I take it this is your first hamburger?"

At first Gaara didn't reply he just gazed at him passively. He actually looked a little annoyed by the sudden inquiry. To the brunette's surprise he closed his eyes and said, "Yes."

The unexpected answer left Tsukune somewhat satisfied since he thought the red head didn't really didn't trust him. He was about to ask him something else when he heard a something slam down hard, causing to him to almost jump out of his seat. "What the hell!" he shouted, _I almost had a heart attack. _

"Kurumu," he exhaled after seeing her face. For a second there he thought Moka's sister was attacking them again.

"Sorry Tsukune I didn't mean to scare you!" She said before embracing him in a tight hug, her breast pressed up against his face closing off his breathing passages. Gaara watched quietly as the woman suffocated him with her large bosom. He felt like it was none of his business so he chose not to say anything. After about thirty seconds she released him, resulting in him gasping for air.

"Are you alright Tsukune?" Kurumu asked. She was concerned even though she was the cause of his fluctuated breathing.

"Yes….I'm…Fine." He panted.

"You really need to work on that, it's a bad habit Kurumu."

Unlike the succubus, Yukari placed her tray gently on the table. "If you don't, you're going to end up suffocating him with those oversized balloons," she giggled.

Kurumu narrowed her eyes at the young witch, before a playful smirk appeared on her face. "That's funny coming from you Yukari, since your boobs are so small you don't even require a sports bra."

Embarrassed, the preteen's face started to redden. "Shut up you bimbo! I'm only 12 years old!"

"My point exactly," Kurumu remarked while leaning over Tsukune to get closer. Her breast hovered over his nose, as she was only inches away from Yukari's face, "Your. Still. Just. A. Kid."

Yukari growled but couldn't find the right words to respond. She knew she was still young, but she knew she would grow sooner or later she just had to_! Right?_

"Besides, you're turning 13 next month so you will officially be a teenager. When I was 13 I was already a D cup." She bragged. "Who knows maybe when you turn twenty your bust will grow to an A..." She chuckled.

"You…Bitch!" she screamed before grabbing her right tit causing her to moan abruptly. She smirked as the turquoise haired girl squirmed in enjoyment. "Just you wait moo cow! One of these days these things are going to sag!"

Instead of watching the immature argument, Gaara continued to eat, his pale face was slightly flushed from witnessing the random groping. Never in his life had he seen such indecent behavior. Sure he's seen females argue, typically Matsuri and Sari. They were always competing to get his attention, so it always ended up in a confrontation. Still, they never really talked about each other's private parts, at least not in his presence. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to pass judgment. He just shrugged it off as something he would have to get used to.

"I see you two are already at it," Mizore commented as she approached them. Unlike the other girls she didn't have any food, only her sucker. Stopping their fighting, Yukari and Kurumu stared at her for a moment before resuming their arguing. "Annoying…" She murmured while rolling her eyes and taking her seat on the opposite tier. Glancing out of the corner of eye, she noticed the mysterious red headed. As expected, he sat there calm and collective as Tsukune tried to break up the ongoing fight.

"Hey guys what's. Going. On?"

Yukari was in the middle of twisting Kurumu's nipple when she noticed the last girl of their harem standing behind them. "Ha-ha nothing much," said the young witch.

Moka was used to seeing them like this so it wasn't all that shocking; she just hoped they would grow out of it sooner or later. "That's not what I see," She giggled before sitting down next to Yukari. The preteen let go off Kurumu's teat causing the older girl to whimper before easing back into her seat on the other side of Tsukune. Once everyone was seated Moka smiled before pulling a piece of paper out of her jacket pocket. "We need to get started on this week's newspaper; do you guys have any ideas for articles?" She asked.

Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow_. Newspaper? _He questioned himself. This intrigued him a little, but of course he didn't show it on his face. Instead of participating, he continued eating his burger peacefully while listening to their conversation.

"Hmm…How about we do an article about cooking?" Kurumu asked. Baking was one of the few things she was good at, so she wanted to do something to make Tsukune notice her. It would also put her ahead of the other girls for Tsukune's affection. "It could be one of our side articles. We can do it on deserts and include several different pastries and the recipes to make them."

"That's a good idea Kurumu!" Moka said before jotting it down.

"Psshhh…Come on Moka, we all know why Kurumu picked cooking for a topic," Mizore remarked.

"Just what are you saying Mizore?"

Sighing, the snow woman placed her elbow on the table while her cheek rested in the palm of her hands. "I'm saying you picked cooking so you can out due the rest of us and impress Tsukune," She remarked plainly.

"Y-You couldn't be more wrong ice queen! This is all for the newspaper." Kurumu huffed.

"Right…" Mizore replied casually with a hint of sarcasm.

"Nonetheless, cooking is a good idea and it makes are job that much easier since Kurumu is skilled in that area," Yukari said. As much as she hated to admit it Kurumu could be useful at times.

"Alright!" Moka said joyously, while tapping her pencil against the solid table. "Alright…We have cooking down, we need a few more articles and then we can focus on our main topic for the Yokai cosset."

"How about sports?" Mizore mumbled carelessly.

"Yeah, I think that'll do," Tsukune nodded. "There are going to be tryouts for basketball and soccer we could meet up with the coaches and get some important information. " Even though Tsukune wasn't a perfect athletic specimen, he still was aware of the impact it held in high school.

"Ok we have sport tryouts down," The pink haired vampire declared while slowly writing it down. _Wow we're moving a lot faster than usual! _Most of the time they planned the topics for the newspaper article in Ms. Nekonome's class, but since it was only the second week of school everyone was still busy so they had less time to plan. Of course they would still have to run all this stuff by Gin before they published it.

"Now we only need one more," she stated.

This time no one answered right away. There weren't many other things that would interest people. They had already gotten down baking recipes which would attract the attention of the female students. The information for sport tryouts was intended to appeal to the guys. Now they need one more thing, to draw in both sexes.

"Hmm…" Moka hummed in wonder. _Come on there has to be something left. _Slowly the vampire started to look in all directions. Her emerald eyes scanned the vicinity for something appealing. Right when she was about to give up, her eyes settled on Gaara who she didn't even notice was sitting right in front of her.

"Oh my gosh! How could I be so rude?" She asked herself aloud. "Hi… You're Gaara correct?"

The vampire might not have seen him, but Kurumu and Yukari had noticed him when they first arrived, but they never had a chance to greet him since they were too busy squabbling. Still, they couldn't help but notice how well he blends in considering his appearance. Mizore on the other hand had noticed him right away, but not much got by her so it was expected.

He closed his eyes and nodded in confirmation.

"So um how do you like the school so far?" She asked.

"It's nice." That wasn't much of answer, so he really wasn't giving her much to work with.

_Wow he's not really talkative,_ which bothered her since she really wanted to get know Tsukune's new friends. Holding back a sigh, she started to hang her head in disappointment. But then she remembered one something that Tsukune told her earlier. It was a good conversation starter in her opinion.

"So… I hear you and Naruto are related." It was a rather random statement, but she couldn't think of anything else to start with.

Gaara stared at the bubble gum haired woman with uncertainty. He really didn't know how to reply to her question. Since Naruto had declared them cousins, the logical thing would be to go along with the fib. However once he confirmed that they were blood relatives, him and Naruto were going to have to keep up the façade the whole time they attended Yokai academy. _I really wish Naruto would think before he speaks, _he sighed.

"Yes...We're cousins."

Yukari smiled, "Wow It must be great going to school with a relative."

Kurumu laughed before glancing at the pink haired girl, "Yeah but not for everyone…"

Of course she was referring to Moka's crazy younger sister Kokoa. Ever since the semester begun, she had been attacking the newspaper club relentlessly. Almost every day she would approach Moka demanding her to fight her. As soon as she would decline the younger vampire would go on a rampage.

"Come on Kurumu, she's not that bad-

"Not that bad…ARE YOU KIDDING ME SHE'S A FUCKING PSYCHOPATH!" The succubus shouted.

"I agree she's is a bit unstable," Yukari concurred politely. She loved Moka and wanted to agree with her but her sister was crazy and there was no hiding it.

"Unstable? More like a pain in the ass..." Mizore murmured. She desperately wanted to bury that brat in ice, but she knew Moka wouldn't be too happy about that.

As the girls continued to talk about Kokoa's mental health, a loud crash was heard throughout the cafeteria. Following the booming sound was a miniature earthquake. Once the quake ended, they shifted their attention to the source of the sound which was several feet away from the lunch line.

Standing in the front of the room were two students who appeared to be in an altercation. The first guy was pretty big; he was about "6'5"and pretty bulky. He had short brown hair with piercing black eyes. His nose was rather large with a few heat bumps. Judging by his appearance, one would say he was a senior. On the other side was a boy with spikey blonde hair, he stood at "5'9". Unlike the other guy, he had a leaner frame. His skin was fairly tanned. On both sides of his face were fox like whisker marks. He had a mature face, but still had a very youthful appearance. In between them was a huge hole in the ground, which was created by the larger boy. Lifting his transformed green fist off the ground he glared menacingly at the young blonde.

"Hey you better apologize you little punk!" He demanded.

Naruto scoffed, "Apologize? You bumped into me jerk…" He growled.

"Look at my clothes, there ruined and my food is wasted. This is your fault runt!" You can see a vein popping out of his forehead, clearly showing his frustration.

"Listen pal…" Naruto started while staring at him with a glare of his own. "I'm not the one to blame here; you're the one who bumped into me, so blame yourself for being uncoordinated. Besides you're not the only one who lost their meal." He looked down at the tile floor to spot his spaghetti lying there. The collision was so strong that his noodles and sauce practically separated.

"Who do you think you're talking to you little shit?" He growled while pacing towards the smaller boy.

Hearing the insult Naruto stopped and turned back around. _I was really trying to avoid confrontation on my first day, but I guess it can't be helped._ "I'm talking to you jackass," he replied coolly with narrowed eyes. "I don't know who you are, but you'd best walk away," he warned. "Trust me you don't want any of this."

As soon as this happened all the other students in the cafeteria practically jumped out of their seats and circled around them in anticipation.

"You're going to wish you didn't say that punk," The big brute cracked his knuckles, before beginning his transformation. All four of his limbs extended and expanded it width, while his skin turned green in the process. Large claws formed at the end of his fingertips. His pupils began to disappear as his eye turned into a murderous red. By the end of his transformation he stood at a whopping 12 feet.

_So this is his monster form? Ha and I thought he was ugly before… _

X-X-X-X-X-X

Staring at the scene from afar was Gaara and the newspaper club. The girls watched in shock as a fight was about to unfold. Fighting wasn't uncommon at Yokai Academy, as a matter a fact the main reason for having a hospital on campus is the high frequency of fights. There were at least three fights a week, so there were plenty of injuries. This was different though, a newcomer was about to fight on his first day. Breaking the awkward silence, Yukari turned to Gaara.

"Umm Gaara...Isn't that Naruto over there?"

"Yes…" Gaara sighed in agitation before slowly standing up_. Looks like I better stop this before it gets out of hand. _ The last thing he needed was his 'cousin' beating up another student on their first day at the academy. He didn't want them to reveal their powers so soon, unless they had to.

"Excuse me," He said before walking off in direction of the commotion.

"Where the hell is he going?" Kurumu asked while staring at his retreating form.

Mizore watched the red head calmly pace towards the fight. _Hmm…Maybe this will give me some answers,_ she thought. There was no telling what he was going to do, but whatever it was she wanted to be there. Slowly the snow woman stood up and began to follow him.

"Mizore what are you doing!" Kurumu shouted but to no avail. The Yuki-Onna kept walking in the opposite direction. "That's just great…"

"Since there going we might as well check it out." Tsukune said. _With any luck I might be able to learn some new things. _

"Umm…Okay," Moka nervously replied. She hated confrontation so she was a little uncomfortable, but she followed Tsukune anyways.

"This should be fun! Come on Kurumu!" Yukari shouted over all the loud commotion.

Kurumu watched the young witch disappear into the crowd. She couldn't believe them; they were actually going. _Are they stupid? Did they forget what happened last year?_ If the newspaper club gets involved, they could get in serious trouble. Just because the Security Committee wasn't around anymore didn't mean they could relax. If they do something stupid they could get suspended or even expelled. Sometimes she wondered if they lacked common sense. Then again she had to admit, she was also interested in seeing how this would turn out.

Kurumu looked on for several more seconds before shrugging, "I guess it won't hurt to look, just as long as we don't get involved." She then followed the others into the sea of students.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

The students chanted repeatedly as Naruto and his opponent began to size each other up.

The big brutish boy looked down at the smaller boy with a baleful glare. That arrogant smirk was really starting to make his blood boil. He couldn't understand how someone so small scrawny could be so confident. It was as if he was taunting him just waiting for him to attack. Putting all that aside, there was one thing he couldn't understand…

"HEY BRAT! AREN'T YOU GOING TO FIGHT ME IN YOUR MONSTER FORM?" He asked. You could hear the irritation in his monstrous voice. What kind of idiot fought another monster in human form? That's just suicide.

"There's no need, I can beat you without it," Naruto replied.

"COCKY BASTARD… YOUR GOING TO REGRET THAT!" He yelled before charging towards him. His giant feet caused the ground to shake violently with each step. As he approached the blonde he watched him just stand there no even moving an inch. _Little runt is mocking me…I'll smash him to pieces! _

"TAKE THIS!" He yelled as he brought down his colossal fist on the boy's head. The effect of the thunderous punch was monumental; a booming sound was heard throughout the large room. The earsplitting sound reflected of the hollow walls causing most of the students to temporarily lose their hearing, which was bad since there was a huge dust cloud blocking there vision.

Mizore moved carefully through the crowd. To clear her path she pushed students aside causing a few of them to grunt and groan, but she didn't care. She held her sleeve over her eyes to block out the dust as she moved forward. _Where did he go? I only took my eyes off him for a second_, she wondered. She was walking right behind him only not too long ago, when the room suddenly began to shake, she stopped causing her to stumble. During that brief moment he escaped her field of vision. Finally she emerged from the herd to see nothing but debris.

"What's this?" She asked with a blank expression.

"Mizore!" hearing a feminine voice, the snow woman turned around to see Moka and Tsukune coming toward her as they squeezed their way through the clustered area. Once they got to her Moka looked at her with uncertainty, displaying her ignorance of the situation. "What happened here? Where's did Gaara go?"

Mizore shrugged, "I don't know... I only took my eyes off him for a second and he was gone."

"How strange…" Tsukune replied. Now he was sure there was something different about those two. _How could someone just disappear like that? _Now he was really curious.

"You Guys…What's going on?" Kurumu asked as she and Yukari finally caught up with them.

"We don't know, we just got here," Moka responded.

"Shhh… The dust is settling," Yukari whispered.

Once the debris was gone all they saw was a big green monster with his fist planted on the ground. Underneath his fist was a large crater. Now the crowd was silent, they couldn't possibly guess what happened in that dust cloud

"HAHA THAT WAS TOO EASY… I GUESS HE WAS ALL TALK!" He laughed obnoxiously, but when the dust settled completely his boorish laughter came to a halt. Beneath his fist was nothing but a large hole in the ground where the blonde was previously standing. He couldn't believe it he could have sworn he felt his fist make contact with his skull. "W-WHERE DID HE GO?" He asked dumbly while looking left and right. "I THOUGHT I HIT HIM." He was completely baffled until he heard an annoying chuckle.

"Over here ugly!"

Slowly turning around, his crimson orbs landed on his smirking enemy. The blond stood there with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. "Wow your aim is terrible," Naruto commented. The students stared at him in awe, just like the brute they thought he had been smashed.

Infuriated, the big green troll began to grind his sharpened teeth. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU ESCAPE?" he questioned.

"That should be the least of your worries," Naruto responded while reaching into his pocket. Slowly he pulled out a freshly sharpened number 2 pencil, it wasn't a kunai but he figured it was better than nothing. Ordinarily most people don't like to carry sharpened pencils in their pockets, but Naruto was in a rush to get out of class so he wasn't even thinking about safety.

The transformed student found this amusing. "JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO WITH THAT?" he chuckled.

Gripping the wooden writing utensil, Naruto stared at him with his piercing blue eyes. "This is all I need to get you on your knees."

"HAHA YEAH LIKE YOU CAN HURT ME WITH THAT PIECE OF WOOD…" He laughed while holding his sides. The troll couldn't believe how naïve he was. There was no way in hell he was going to be defeated by a scrawny kid and a writing utensil. He had fangs and claws and skin that was tougher than a crocodiles. How could a sharp piece of led penetrate such a strong defense? "YOU'RE EVEN DUMBER THAN YOU LOOK!"

Instead of getting mad, Naruto's grin grew wider while glaring at his opponent. "Well we won't truly know until I try…" With nothing else to say the blonde charged towards the hideous beast. As he ran he began to force chakra to his legs so he could pick up speed_. _

Once he got within range the monster started swing his fists, but Naruto skillfully dodged them_._ Furiously the troll continued to flail around his gigantic arms in hopes of hitting his target. "STAY STILL YOU WORM!"

After several seconds of hopping about, Naruto decided to get serious. Side stepping to avoid collision with his brick like fists, he activated sage mode but only for a second so he could pick up speed. With frog eyes he charged forward and appeared right in front of him in less than a second. Deactivating sage mode his eyes returned to their previous color. The blonde began to funnel chakra into the thin wooden object. _ I'll end this quickly_; he cranked back his arm, preparing to plunge the pencil into the beasts' abdomen. He didn't want to kill him so he had to avoid hitting any vital organs. Right when he was about to stab him, he felt a soft hand grip his shoulder.

Astonished by the change of events the students began whispering to one another. They couldn't believe their eyes; the new kid was trying to take on a senior who happened to be an A class monster, while remaining in his human form. The fact that he had dodged that attack so swiftly was impressive and then someone else appears and they didn't even sense his presence.

"Naruto...That's enough"

Recognizing the deep voice, he slowly turned his head to see his red headed friend standing there staring at him passively. Forgetting about his hulkish opponent he turned around, causing the hand to fall off his shoulder.

"Why did you stop me Gaara?"

Gaara folded his arms across his chest and exhaled, "You know good and well that we shouldn't be fighting on our first day here."

Naruto scoffed, "Keeping up appearances is the last thing on my mind right now." He replied with narrowed eyes. At this point he could care less about what other people think, this guy needed to be taught a lesson and he wanted to be the one to do it.

"That maybe so, but what are you going to gain from fighting him?" Gaara questioned.

Annoyed the blonde grunted. He knew he had nothing to gain from beating the crap out this guy, but that didn't matter to him. The guy insulted him and publicly challenged him; he was basically asking to get his ass kicked. "Nothing really, but I know I'll be satisfied when it's over."

Gaara was also starting to become irritated, why did he have to be so damn stubborn? With no other ways to convince him Gaara leaned so he could whisper to him, "Listen Naruto…If you fight this guy you're going to be revealing your fighting style and your jutsu."

"Not if I only use taijutsu…" He retorted.

Gaara didn't have anything to say that could oppose that statement. He was right, if he only used taijutsu he wouldn't have to worry about revealing any of his techniques, but there was still one problem that came with that plan. "If you defeat him using only taijutsu it will raise further suspicion."

Naruto huffed at the red heads logic. Even if he was right it didn't mean he had to be happy about. While running hand through his spikey blond hair he sighed in frustration, "Damn it Gaara…You're killing me here."

Growing restless, the monster knelt down to make eye contact with the two teenagers. He snorted causing a cloud of steam to shoot out of his nose, abruptly hitting them in the face. "SO ARE YOU GOING TO FIGHT ME OR NOT? IF I WERE YOU I'D LISTEN TO YOUR EMO FRIEND HERE AND LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE. UNLESS YOU WANT TO END UP IN THE INFIRMARY"

"You're not putting anyone in the infirmary, Ichiro Nagasaki."

The big monster looked up to see a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. He had short burgundy colored hair and brown eyes. His chin had a few fuzzy hairs making him look a little rugged. The outfit he wore was pretty basic, a white tracksuit with a blue stripe along the sides. To match he had on plain white sneakers.

"C-COACH KOTSUBO," The boy now known as Ichiro responded.

"What do you think you're doing here Nagasaki?" Kotsubo asked as he approached. By the glare he was giving the young man you could tell that he was pretty irritated. "You know you're supposed to stay in human form at all times while you're on campus. That rule is only invalid under special circumstances." He continued as he stopped right in front of the transformed student. "So tell me…Why are you not in human form?"

Nervously Ichiro looked in every direction trying to find a proper excuse. He couldn't get in trouble this was his senior year and he wanted to enjoy all the pleasantries that came with graduating. "UHH…YOU SEE-"

"Just save it Nagasaki! Pull another stunt like this and I'll kick you off the soccer team!"

Ichiro's eye's widened as he open his mouth to protest. "BUT COACH-

"Do I make myself clear?" Kotsubo growled once again interrupting him. The last thing he needed was his one of his best players getting in a fight. If it was the end of the season he really wouldn't care, but they haven't even begun practicing and he's trying to brawl.

"YES SIR," he grudgingly replied while hanging his head in defeat. With no more objections Ichiro reverted back to his human form. His green Yokai jacket was slightly stretched out from his transformation which was amazing considering his size while in monster form.

"Alright you guys there's nothing to see here! Resume lunch and act like this never happened." He shouted to all the surrounding students who slowly began to disperse.

As the students returned to their tables, Ichiro stuffed his hands in his pockets and began to walk away with hunched shoulders. When he walked pass Naruto he stopped a few feet away from him. With a wicked grin he said, "This isn't over blondie. One way or another we will settle this."

Naruto smirked at his declaration before shoving his pencil back into his pocket, "Can't wait."

Ichiro grimaced at his response, before trudging towards the cafeteria's exit. Once everything seemed to settle down, Kotsubo turned to address the other student who was involved.

"Sorry about that," he said with a friendly smile.

For a while Naruto didn't reply. He just stood there in a gaze while looking down towards his empty belly. _Man I'm hungry, _he thought as his stomach began to growl. _Damn it, I'm starving and it's all thanks to that ugly bastard. I should have kicked his ass when I had the chance. _After about several seconds he finally heard the older male's voice and shook his head to snap out of his daze.

"Oh you don't have to apologize, it's not like you were trying to fight me," he chuckled.

"I know, but I still want to apologize for his behavior. He's one of my soccer guys so I feel a little responsible for his actions."

"Hold on… You're the soccer coach?" He asked curiously.

"Yes and I'm also the Gym teacher." He responded before shaking his hand. "Kotsubo Okuto and you are?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, I actually have your class next."

"Oh is that so? Well I'm looking forward to seeing you there." He replied before looking over his shoulders to see the red head staring at him intensely. He wasn't glaring he was just looking at him with a strange awareness that made the gym teacher a little weary_. I know him_, he thought as they made exchanged glances.

"Gaara…Sabaku"

"Yes," Gaara replied.

"Yeah I thought so; you're in my third period." When Gaara nodded the older red head smirked. "I was impressed with you today; you ran the mile in record time."

Gaara kept his gaze on the gym teacher with mild interest of the things he was saying. There was something about him he didn't like but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe he was just overthinking it. Maybe he needed to relax.

When Gaara didn't respond Kotsubo decided to press on. "I notice that you were very quiet today. When the mile was over I saw you sitting alone on the bleachers instead of interacting with the other guys."

"Sorry sensei, I'm not really a people person," was the stoic teens only answer. He really didn't want to be in his presence much longer, so he was trying to give him subtle hints. Luckily for him it seemed as though the other red head was ready to take his leave.

"I see, well try and get to know the guys I'm sure you'll get along with them if you give them a chance," He remarked with a wave of the hand. "Anyways I should get going there's a faculty meeting and I'm already late." The man proceeded to walk away, "I'll see you tomorrow Sabaku and I'll see you next period Uzumaki…"

"Alright sensei, see you in thirty minutes," Naruto chuckled as he waved to the retreating man. Apparently he wasn't sensing the negative things that Gaara was which was strange since he's a pretty good judge of character.

Once the physical Ed teacher was out of sight, the hyperactive teen smirked before turning to face his friend. "So…You already broke a record?"

"Yes, let me guess you want to beat my time?" Gaara asked.

"You know it!" Naruto responded confidently. There was no way in hell he was going to let Gaara one up him. "So what was your time anyways?"

The red head's gaze went north towards the ceiling as he tried to remember the his finishing time. "If I recall it was 3:29."

Naruto chuckled, "Alright I'll beat that no sweat!" He was already looking forward to gym. If his hunch was correct Gaara was probably one of the only ones who could challenge him in the athletic department. If there are any others it was highly doubtful that he'd be lucky enough to find competition in his period.

"Hey guys!"

Breaking out of their competitive musings, the two jinchuriki turned around to see Tsukune and his harem coming toward them. The expressions on their faces were classic. It was mixture of shock, confusion, and curiosity wrapped in one. They had never seen anything like that before and they witnessed a lot of strange things at this school. A fight was a common occurrence at Yokai academy so that's not what surprised them. What shocked them was their speed. First Gaara disappears in the blink of an eye and then Naruto dodges an attack that look like it landed. Maybe it wasn't speed maybe it was some kind of magic. Then again they didn't seem like the magic type, so it had to be speed. What else could it be?

"What happened?" Tsukune asked immediately.

"That was crazy I can't believe you picked a fight with that guy! He was almost twice your size!" Yukari said with awe struck eyes.

"I can't believe you were going to fight that guy in human form. How reckless can you be blondie?" Kurumu asked slightly annoyed by his stupidity.

"Are you guys alright?" Moka asked the one question that should have been asked from the beginning of this miniature interrogation.

Naruto couldn't believe all the questions he was getting. _Damn Gaara was right? I need to be more careful so I can avoid situations like this. _"Yeah I'm fine just a little hungry. That jerk bumped into me when I was heading toward the table and I dropped my tray."

"So that's how it all started?" Mizore questioned.

Naruto nodded before continuing, "I was trying to walk away but the guy kept egging me on, so I had no choice in the matter. If I didn't do anything I'd look like a coward."

Kurumu narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I don't get it. Why didn't you transform?"

That question alone made him become alert. His ocean blue eyes widen as he stared at the big breasted girl. There was only one excuse and he knew it was a crappy one, but it was better than nothing. "It's against school rules to-

"Don't give me that shit, no one follows that rule when there about to fight. So give me a real reason?"

"Uhh…" Naruto started while staring back at the blue haired girl_. Man what's this chick's problem? _He didn't really have a good reason so he decided to tell her the truth. "I stayed in human form because transforming was pointless."

Instead of getting mad the succubus became amused, "So you're saying you could have defeated him without using any of your powers?"

"Yeah…Basically…" He remarked casually.

"Well if that's the case you must be an S class monster…" As soon as he heard the word S rank, Naruto raised a brow. Before Naruto could reply, Gaara decided to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Tsukune since it seems like everybody's done eating could you guys' show us around?"

The male was a little caught off guard by the sudden question, but nodded. "Yeah follow me," he said as he began pacing down the narrow highway. Of course the girls followed him first; even Kurumu wasn't so pissed that she'd forget her competition with the other girls. Slowly the two males trailed them, but kept their distance in the process.

"Thanks," Naruto whispered to Gaara still looking straight ahead and the red head nodded.

As they continued to walk they reached the doors at the end of the hallway. Pushing the door open Tsukune stepped outside into the sunlight. He couldn't help but admire the serene atmosphere. It was really peaceful outside. The sun was out and the sky was blue. When the others came out, he turned around and smiled at the girls.

"So where should we start?" he asked.

"That's easy the auditorium," Yukari answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Moka smiled, "I agree…"

"The auditorium it is," Tsukune said. As they walked to toward the concert hall the group of teenagers conversed about different things mostly school. Naruto did most of the talking, while Gaara just listened as they walked. After about three minutes of talking they were with range of the range of their destination, However when they turned a corner someone was blocking their path.

Moka's eyes went wide as well as the other as they stared at the person obstructing their path. Immediately she grabbed Tsukune's arm leaned into him for comfort. Naruto and Gaara who were completely oblivious to what was going on, so they decided to be quiet and watch everything unfold.

Standing there with a mischievous glare was a girl with bright orange hair tied into two ponytails. Her eyes were a dazzling emerald green. She wore a red shirt tied in the front was a bow and she had on the traditional checkered skirt. Adorning her short curvy legs were reddish brown knee socks that stopped at her lower thighs. To correspond with the rest of her attire, she wore gothic lolita shoes. Hovering next to her was a small innocent looking bat.

"I finally found you…Moka"

Kurumu grimaced while face palming, "Damn it...I don't think I can deal with this girl right now."

Mizore stared at the opposing girl with cold eyes. "There's no need to fret Kurumu, because me and you are going to end this hear and now…" Instantly her hands changed into ice daggers and her soft purple hair gained a shade of white while turning cold and frosty in the process. Biting down hard she crushed the sucker in her mouth. "No holding back."

Kurumu closed her violet eyes and sighed, while lazily raising a hand. "I suppose you're right," she said. Just like her friend she decided to take monster form. Without warning wings sprouted from her back and she also grew a thin black tail. Sharp claws shot out of her finger tips and her ears became pointed.

"What...The hell…" Naruto mumbled. There transformation wasn't terrifying, especially after he fought that hideous monster earlier. He was surprised because their actions were so sudden and unexpected. Hell, he didn't even know what was going on at the moment. For all he knew they were supposed to be going to the auditorium, which was right behind the girl with the pony tails.

"Are you ready Yukari?" Kurumu asked.

With narrowed eyes the preteen pulled out her pink heart shaped wand. "Mhmm," she nodded.

"You weaklings really think you can take me on? Oh this is going to be fun." Amused by their odd behavior she opened her hand. "Come Ko buddy," she commanded. Obeying its master, the young bat began to transform. Once the flying rodent was finished it had changed into a gigantic spiked club, also known as a morning star. The large weapon dropped into her small hand and she caught it in a strong grip. Casually she rested it on her shoulder as if it was as light as a feather. "You girls ready?" she smirked.

Now her blood was really pumping, maybe now she'll get the fight she's looking for. All three of them together should put up a challenge, but then again they are lower monsters so her expectations weren't too high.

"Interesting," Gaara murmured to himself. The fact that a girl could lift something of that magnitude like it was a child's toy was amazing. What was even more astonishing was that the weapon she wielded was the same size as her body.

"Wait you guys can't fight her!" Moka shouted while clinging to Tsukune.

Tired of being left out of the loop, Naruto stepped toward the male brunette to get some answers. Nudging Tsukune he leaned in while covering his mouth. "Who's the girl? And why is Moka scared out of her mind?"

"Because she's wants to fight her to the death," Tsukune replied in a hushed tone. He stared at the beautiful orange haired girl who was anxiously gripping her medieval weapon. She had been chasing them around for a whole week. The girls have been trying not to fight back since they were Moka's wishes but enough is enough. The only way she was going to learn was tough love, she was in high school now so there's no excuse. Still, she didn't seem all that bad, just a little misunderstood. _Man I was hoping today would be peaceful, but I guess that's out of the question. _Forcing his gaze back to Naruto, he opened his mouth to continue.

"Her name is Kokoa…Moka's younger sister."

**To be continued…**

**I know that wasn't much of a cliffhanger, since you all knew it was Kokoa to begin with. Just so I don't get any annoying reviews about Naruto and Gaara's strength and Jutsu I'm going to put a few things out there. Unlike most crossovers of these two shows, I'm not going to have them use all their strongest moves at the beginning of the story; I want to build up to it. I'm following canon so if you guys read the manga you know how strong they are. **

**I hope you guys like the chapter; please review and tell me what you thought. I know it took me longer than last time to update so I apologize, but I've been kind of out and about lately so I've been a little preoccupied. My goal is to update once a month, but will see how that works out. See you guys next time.**


	5. Chapter 5: S Class Siblings

What's up? Sorry for the wait, I know I'm super late, but I hadn't been home much lately, not to mention I've had a severe case of writer's block. Writing this chapter was a pain, but I' am satisfied with the results and I hope you enjoy it as well. I know many of you aren't happy with the slow pace of this fic and that's completely understandable. I'll try and pick up the pace, but it's going to be difficult to pull off without rushing through the story.

I should warn you that Naruto and Gaara's roles had been reduced in this chapter. An explanation for that is in the author's note at the end of the chapter. I'm letting you know in advance to avoid potential flames. Not that I don't mind being flamed, it's just I don't have the best patience when it comes to dealing with rude people or reader's for that matter.

RaitonJutsu you asked a good question about Ishigami and Kotsubo. Yes all that stuff that went down with Ishigami kidnapping Moka and Kotsubo trying to kill Mizore also happened in this story. However the explanation to why there still teaching at Yokai Academy won't be explained till later.

I would like to thank all you readers who reviewed last chapter; I really do appreciate the support. That's the first time I ever got thirty reviews over the course of one update. Now onto the chapter.

R&R Please!

**Chapter 5: S Class Siblings**

The three girls stared down the opposing female with menacing glares. With claws retracted, wands and medieval weapons drawn, a battle was about to take place. This is the first time the girls chose to fight instead of run away, so there was no telling what kind of damage the school was going to receive.

Mizore and Kurumu exchanged glances with one another, while Yukari focused her violet orbs on the girl at hand. With each second the preteen got more anxious causing her grip on the heart shaped wand to become tighter and tighter by the second. This whole thing was very nerve wracking, the last thing she wanted to do was upset Moka, but Mizore and Kurumu were right, something had to be done about Kokoa.

"Come on aren't one of you skanks going to make a move?" Kokoa asked impatiently while bouncing her morning star on her slender shoulder. The girls didn't reply they just continued to gaze at her cautiously, which noticeably started to piss her off.

"Alright… Let's begin…" Mizore whispered before extending her ice daggered hands.

Before the snow woman can attack, Kurumu intervened. Placing her hand on Mizore's outstretched arm, she gave it a slight squeeze causing the taller girl to make eye contact with her. "Remember, we're just trying to teach her a lesson, so don't go overboard," She remarked with narrowed eyes. The busty succubus knew how easily she could get carried away, so she decided to take precaution.

"Yeah Yeah I know…" She responded dryly with a roll of her eyes. Hearing her reply, Kurumu nodded before removing her hand. "Besides…If I was going to kill her she'd already be dead." Not giving Kurumu a chance to respond, she started her attack. Without warning, the five claws she had for fingers shot out of their sockets. As soon as those left her hand she grew five more ice daggers to replace them.

The projectiles headed straight for Kokoa and the young vampire grinned while preparing herself. "It is about time," the orange haired girl raised her weapon, awaiting the arrival of the impending shards. They were flying at a pretty fast rate, at least sixty miles per hour. She had just enough speed to dodge, but she didn't feel like moving. No, instead she was going to play a little baseball with Mizore's ice.

**"Morning Star!"**

Right before the shards got within range she started to swing. When her weapon made contact with the ice fragments they shattered. The power of her swing, combined with the force and weight of the blunt object caused an incredible result. Slowly small microscopic pieces of ice began to rain down around her.

The snow woman looked on with her usual expressionless face, as she watched her ice shatter and fall. "Beautiful…" She whispered.

Unlike Mizore, Kurumu did look slightly surprised by the girl's reaction time. The whole time she thought she was all brawn and no brain. Ever since Kokoa had started chasing them she'd use her little bat as a weapon. Usually she would grab the little fur ball and then it would transform into a deadly weapon. After that she would attack recklessly, randomly swinging and destroying everything in her path. To see her actually stand there and time the arrival of Mizore's attack was impressive. "Not bad."

While her friends seemed to be fine, Yukari was actually a little frightened. Since she was a witch her body wasn't nearly as durable as Mizore or Kurumu's and nowhere near Moka's strong body. She was still young and small; her body was a lot more fragile. _Crap! One hit from that thing and I'll have to be hospitalized._

She could just walk away and let the two of them handle it, but if she did that she'd look like a coward. Besides it was time she showed the other girls that she was more than just book smart and that she would be a worthy opponent for the prize that is Tsukune's affection.

When the broken ice had finally stopped descending, Kokoa sported a proud grin. "I hope that isn't all you got…Because if it is, you'd better quit now!" The hot tempered vampire yelled before rushing towards them to attack.

Sighing and shaking her head Mizore murmured 'predictable' and placed the palm of her hand on the concrete.** "ICE RINK…"**she whispered coolly. As the condensation left her mouth the concrete began to turn into a beautiful lily white. In only two mere seconds the ground was covered in thick layer of frosty ice.

Kokoa's smirk started to fade when she realized what Mizore had just done. "Shit," she whispered to herself as her eyes grew wider in horror. The petite vampire tried to slow down but it was too late. As soon as her right foot touched the ice she began to slide down without any control. The sight of her small body gliding down the ice in a comical manner caused Yukari to giggle.

As she continued to slide she saw Kurumu smiling mischievously, as she raised her hand. Her long claws looked sharper than ever. She had a pretty good idea what the succubus was planning so she had to find a way to stop herself or that attack. In desperation, she gripped her morning star and swung it down onto the ice. Successfully, the spike weapon got lodged in the rink which also caused her to come to a halt.

At ease, the young girl sighed "That was close." If she had stopped a second later she would have been within Kurumu's range.

Taking a deep breath, she started to regain her focus. _I guessed I underestimated them a little bit, but that doesn't change the fact that there inferior monsters. The little girl doesn't seem like the fighting type so I don't need to worry about her. After I take out the snow freak and the big breasted bimbo, I'll be within reach of my goal._ She turned to look at her timid sister who was glued to the brunette only a few meters away from the battle zone._ Your next…Sister Moka…_

"You shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent." Kokoa looked up to see the succubus hovering over her like a vulture stalking its prey. "That's an easy way to get killed!" Kurumu shouted before swooping down toward the unprepared girl.

"Damn it!" Kokoa Shouted while trying to remove her weapon that was still stuck in the dense frost. Repeatedly she pulled on the hilt her morning star, but it barely even budged. When she finally decided she was a wasted of time she stopped just in time to see the blue haired girl take a swipe at her with those lengthy claws of hers.

Using her quick reflexes she was able to duck just in time to avoid the sharp appendages. When the claws flew by her head she could hear them slice through the wind. Evidence of how deadly her claws were was found in the small hole in Kokoa's shirt located on her shoulder. Now she knew for certain that those weren't paper thin, not that she had doubted their density in the first place…

"Wow I'm surprised you were able to dodge my attack," Kurumu commented while landing on the solid ice several feet away from her. "You're better than I thought you were…"

Kokoa glared at her before standing up from her knelt position. Turning around she grabbed her morning star and proceeded to remove it from the frozen floor. It took some effort, but after about fifteen seconds she finally got it out. "Better than you thought? So you thought I was weaker than a slutty succubus like you?"

Kurumu bit her lip to suppress her anger with the smaller girl. "No… I thought you were a little brat with no strategy, who's only true skill was thrashing her weapon around like a deranged lunatic."

Kokoa's eyes changed from emerald green to a violent crimson red. "You're going to regret saying that harlot…" The Morning star began to change. From the pole all the way up to the hilt, it had become wooden. The spiked ball had changed in the large rusty blade. Slowly she walked towards her so she wouldn't slip on the ice again. The last thing she needed was to fall two times in a row, which would only add to her embarrassment.

Once she was off the slippery surface, she immediately charged towards Kurumu. **"Battle Axe!"** she screamed before hammering it down on her. Jumping back, she was able to avoid getting her skull sliced open. Even though she avoided the first attack, she didn't have time to relax since Kokoa had already begun her second swing.

"Die!"

The turquoise haired girl back flipped several times to create some distance. When she was a good twenty feet away she stopped, causing her breast to bounce. Looking up she could see the hot blooded girl grinning sadistically. I guess I'll have to step it up a bit. She rose to her feet so she could address the younger girl. "Don't get cocky brat, we've only begun."

Kokoa couldn't help but smile at that statement. "Brat? You're only a year older than me bimbo." She replied with a heated glare. "Besides why shouldn't I be confident, when my opponent is an empty headed succubus?"

Kurumu growled. "Bitch," Before she could attack several yellow pots appeared above her opponents head. Without knowing they dropped on the vampire girl's skull, resulting in her stumbling several feet before falling on her face.

Turning around she gazed at grinning Yukari who was now lowering her wand. "Yay! I got her!" she cheered. The young witch couldn't help but celebrate; she didn't think she would be able to land a hit on her.

"Not bad Yukari, you made her fall on her face," Mizore mumbled in a bored tone of voice.

Her colorful eyes wondered to the dazed vampire who was now picking herself up off the ground. Once she was up on her feet she rubbed her throbbing cranium. Her eyes had now turned crimson and her pupils were black slits. "Damn it! I'm going to kick your ass you little witch!"

Mizore nonchalantly tilted her head, "Oh…It seems like she's back for more." She pointed her frozen hand at her and prepared to fire another round of ice shards.

"Don't!"

The snow woman turned her head to see an irritated Kurumu glaring at her. "Don't interfere; I want to fight her alone." She then turned to face the young witch, who was blinking confusedly. "That goes for you to Yukari…Stay out of this!"

The preteen was caught off guard her reaction to their assistance, but nodded anyway. "Okay, if that's what you want."

Yukari seemed to be convinced, but Mizore wasn't completely sold on the idea. "Are you sure?" she asked while walking towards Kurumu. "From where I'm standing it seems like she's a bit too much for you."

"Shut up snow skank, I know what I'm doing," she replied while glaring at Kokoa who had already recovered from Yukari's attack. The orange haired girl was now stretching out as she waited for one of them to attack. Obviously she was taunting them, but Kurumu kept her cool. "Besides three on one isn't exactly a fair fight."

Mizore stared at her with emotionless eyes for several moments. Sometimes she couldn't understand her big breasted rival. First she tells her to go easy on her since she is Moka's sister after all, but now it looks like she's ready to kill her. After thinking it over she shrugged, "Fine have it your way tramp, but don't come crying to me when that twerp beats you." With that, she turned around and walked back to stand next to Yukari.

Now that that was taking care of, they could fight without any other interruptions. Kurumu watched as Kokoa finished up her care free stretching. As Kokoa stretched her arms she grimaced to give the impression that her muscles hadn't loosened up. In other words by stretching her muscles and groaning, she was saying that she hadn't been challenged yet.

Kokoa loved the expression on Kurumu's face. She had this dead serious posture. By that plain look in her eyes she could tell she meant business. She might not have been glaring, but she could see the inner turmoil that was hiding behind that calm demeanor of hers. _In a matter of seconds I'll have her screaming in agony._

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Wow there pretty good." Naruto observed the fight from afar, along with Gaara, Tsukune and Moka. The two jinchuriki had already decided not to take part in this battle. Even though in the shinobi world fighting against females is a normal occurrence, this was a different circumstance and so they didn't feel like they should get involved... Besides if they did intervene they would have to use some of their jutsu. Even if they used their most basic fundamental techniques, it was still too risky. The last thing they needed was more questioning. The only thing they could do was watch and hope that they didn't inflict too much damage on one another.

The blonde continued to watch on as Kokoa and Kurumu continued to clash with one another. Staring at the succubus, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of monster she was. She had claws that were about almost a foot long, a thin tail that's pointed at the end, and wings. Not to mention her pointy elf like ears.

The orange haired girl looked normal, so he couldn't even guess what type of yokai she was. The only thing that stood out about her was her sharp fangs and her eyes. Originally her eyes were an emerald green like her sisters, but now they were blood red with black slits.

"Hey why did her eyes change colors?" He randomly asked, but not turning to make eye contact with anyone in particular. He was too focused on the battle at hand to avert his gaze.

Letting go of Tsukune, Moka decided to answer his question. "It's because she's a vampire." Her reply seems to get her classmates attention as they shifted their attention to her for further explanation. "But then again that's not necessarily the case; Kokoa and I are the only ones that I know of whose eyes change during battle."

Her response to Naruto's question had gotten Gaara's attention. He had heard of vampires before, but of course he never really believed in them. The idea of a corpse drinking human blood was ludicrous, even though he himself has a lead a far from normal life. _If she's a vampire than she must be one as well,_ he concluded while watching the pink haired girl out of the corner of his eye.

Naruto blinked several times in confusion, "A vampire?" he questioned. Like Gaara, this wasn't his first time hearing that word. Back when he first started at the academy, Iruka use to tell him and the other kids scary stories. He was against it at first, but the boys kept begging him to. So he told them stories about vampires, werewolves and other mythical creatures.

"Yes, a demon that sucks the blood of the living." She replied with a weird smile. "Speaking of blood, I never really got to finish my lunch."

"Hold on wait a second Moka!" Tsukune yelled frantically while waving his hands defiance. He really didn't want to be Moka's substitute for lunch.

"Don't worry Tsukune; I'll be quick this time I promise," She reassured him before gripping him by the shoulder. Slowly she leaned in towards the nape of his neck. Her cold breath sent chills down his spine as her mouth had finally made contact with his warm flesh. Gently she sunk her fangs into the sensitive skin and began drinking. Mmm…delicious she thought as she continued to retract the blood from his body.

Naruto smiled, "Looks like your enjoying yourself there…" Moka muttered an incoherent 'Mhmm' so she wouldn't have to stop enjoying her meal.

"From what we've seen so far, these vampires have formidable strength and speed." Gaara remarked as he watched Kokoa create a small crater on the concrete when Kurumu dodged her spiked club.

The blonde chuckled, "No arguments there."

Keeping true to her promise, Moka released Tsukune so he wouldn't get dizzy or lose consciousness. That rarely ever happened when she sucked his blood, but there had been a few times when she got carried away in the heat of the moment. "Thanks Tsukune that was great!"

The brunette rubbed the bite mark on his neck. The skin was purple so it looked more like a hickey. "No problem," he sighed.

When the two were done, they returned their attention to the fight at hand. Currently Kurumu was attacking Kokoa relentlessly with her claws. The short girl had several small cuts on her soft skin, indicating that the succubus had landed a few harmless scratches. Kurumu also had some a minor injury. Right below her knees was a small scab. So far the girls had managed to inflict damage on the campus instead of each other.

"Shouldn't we stop them, before somebody gets hurts?" Naruto asked. In his mind it was only matter of time before one of them got seriously injured. When there claws and weapons involved things are bound to get messy. Being a shinobi, he knew just how dangerous weapons could be.

Still he had to admit, he felt kind of strange not having his weapons pouch with him. Ever since he became a genin he always had it with him where ever he went. In that pouch was the usual ninja gear. His shuriken, kunai, paper bombs etc.

_I wonder where there keeping our things. That headmaster guy said they had confiscated our belongings, which means clothes and our other stuff. He told us that one of the staff members were supposed to be stitching up our clothes. I get that part, but why did they have to take Gaara's gourd and my weapons pouch?_

Tsukune nodded, "You're probably right, the girls are strong but they're fighting against an S class monster."

_S class? That girl with the attitude had mentioned something about that earlier. I wonder if it means the same thing as S rank does in our world. Well…There's only one way to find out._

Moka's expression grew somewhat grim when he mentioned the rankings. It was true her sister was strong, but she still had a long way to go before she could challenge her. In her opinion Kokoa relied too much on speed and strength, so she was reckless. "You're right Tsukune, but you're forgetting that Kokoa is still immature so she hasn't even come close to reaching her true potential. Besides if you try to stop them you'll get caught in the middle."

Frustrated but aware, Tsukune frowned. "Yeah I suppose your right." The only way he could be of help is by removing is holy lock, but doing that is a huge risk since he doesn't have complete control over the transformation.

"So…Uhh…What does S class mean exactly?" Naruto questioned while accidently changing the subject.

"Oh that's right, you guys wouldn't know since your new here and all. S class monsters are the strongest among yokai and Vampire's like Moka and Kokoa fall under that category." The brunette replied while turning around to face them. "Then after that there's A, B, C, D and F." The blonde gave him his undivided attention since he knew he sucked at retaining information. Gaara also seemed interested as he kept an ear open, as he continued to watch the fight. "Let's see…How should I explain this?" He asked himself aloud. His chestnut eyes wondered over to the area where the girls were fighting no more than twenty meters away. Kurumu and Kokoa were both hunched over panting trying to catch their breaths.

"Oh okay, let's take Kurumu for example. She's a succubus which is a B class monster."

Naruto tilted his head after hearing the unfamiliar word. "Succubus? What's that?" He had heard stories of several different mythical creatures but he had heard anything about a succubus.

This time Moka took the initiative to elaborate. "A succubus or succubae if you will, are female demons that seduce men and make them their slaves."

The blonde's mouth practically dropped after hearing that sentence. "Are you serious?" He suddenly felt uneasy about being around the big breasted girl. A female demon that seduces men and makes them their slaves, he repeated those words in his head several times trying to process that tiny bit of information.

Moka nodded and continued her explanation. "Although they seem innocent and helpless, they could be very manipulative and deceitful."

"So you're saying these succubae use their bodies to attract men, but betray them after they foolishly fall prey to their charm," Gaara ascertained.

"That's basically the gist of it," Tsukune replied.

Moka chuckled, "Yes, but Kurumu's not like that anymore. She's a loyal friend and I have complete trust in her."

Naruto sighed in relief, "That's good I was worried there for a second."

As Naruto continued to converse with Tsukune and Moka, Gaara quietly observed the battle. For some strange reason he found himself interested in their abilities. Back home, there were plenty of ninja with unique talents and powers that easily surpassed those of these high school girls. However, the fact that these girls are able to fight at such a high level without knowing how to properly use chakra fascinated him. _Are they even aware that they have chakra?"_

If they weren't that would explain why they fought so recklessly. They had only been fighting for five minutes and both girls were already exhausted. It was a shame really; all of them had above average chakra reserves. Especially Kokoa, out of the four girls she by far had the most chakra. Still the fact that the older girl seemed more skilled than her told him, that she didn't know how to properly use her power.

The purple haired woman had also caught his eye. Her power to control snow and ice was something he'd never seen before. She didn't even need to use any hand signs. In a way they were very similar. He controlled sand with hardly any effort at all. Hell at this point in his life it was almost second nature to him.

His green eyes wondered over to Tsukune and Moka. _Their chakra reserves are nowhere near the level of mine or Naruto's, but nonetheless it is very intense._ "Since we're discussing strength, do you mind telling us the rankings of those two?" He nudged his head toward Mizore and Yukari.

"Sure," The pink haired girl cheerfully smiled. "Mizore is a snow woman so she's considered to be an A class monster, which is the level below S class."

"A snow woman, what are they known for?" The red head asked.

"Hmm…I really don't know much about Mizore's race, but I do know that they have a bad habit of freezing and abducting the men that they fall in love with."

That statement was somewhat alarming, but Gaara's face remained impassive. "What an impulsive species."

Naruto sweat dropped, "Wow there just as bad as the succubae…"

Tsukune laughed light hardily as he reassured him that like Kurumu, Mizore had stopped doing such things a while ago.

"Little Yukari there is a witch, so she's a C class monster." Moka informed them.

Suddenly Naruto eyes became alive. "Hold on! That little girl is a witch?!" He was very aware of witches and he knew that they specialized in magic.

"Mhmm," she hummed. "Witches are different from other Yokai. There considered to be a cross between monsters and humans, so most of them struggle to make friends. Though they have a human's appearance they are able to perform magic and cast spells."

The blonde couldn't keep the excitement off of his whiskered face. "Man that's awesome; I wonder if she could fly on a broom..."

Moka giggled at his childish behavior. There weren't any students on campus who were like him, that much she knew for certain. _How cute, He's like a big kid,_ she thought. "You should ask her before lunch is over."

"Ha, alright I think I will."

As the four of them continued to discuss different miscellaneous things, Kurumu and Kokoa were in the middle of concluding their battle. So far neither of the girls appeared to be seriously injured, but appearances can be deceiving.

Kurumu's ribs felt like they were on fire after receiving a devastating blow from the vampire's hammer. Luckily her body was really resilient so nothing was broken. _That little bitch is pretty strong, I can't let her land another blow like that._

Kokoa wasn't fairing to well herself. Kurumu's claws had left a huge gash on her left arm, so moving it felt really uncomfortable. But she wasn't worried most of her wounds healed relatively fast any way. _I don't have time to waste on this tramp; I need to get to big sis._ The orange haired girl looked up to see Kurumu was still holding on to those damaged ribs of hers. _Now I'll finish this…_

Using her speed, she rushed toward Kurumu so she can attack the injured area again. However, she didn't get the chance as several ice daggers sped toward her. Only one of them hit her and it barely nicked her knee when it zoomed past her.

Whipping her head around, Kurumu glared daggers at the snow woman. "What the hell Mizore! I thought I told you not to interfere!"

Mizore quietly approached the angry succubus. Digging into the pouch of her jacket she pulled out a lollipop with a baby blue wrapper. "Come now Kurumu, I can't let you have all the fun." The snow woman proceeded to slowly unwrap the covering that concealed the hard candy. Once the wrapper was off, it revealed a powder blue sucker. Placing it in her mouth, she smiled. "Lunch is almost over and I want to get a crack at her so let's switch."

"That's too bad! This is my fight so stay the hell out of it Snow freak!" Kurumu shouted irritably.

"No can do, that brat's been pissing me off for a whole week now so she's going to pay."

Growling, the big breasted girl took a few predatory steps closer so their faces would only be centimeters apart. "Listen Mizore I'm only going to say this one more time. Don't. Interfere. With. My. Fight!"

Mizore eyes narrowed at that statement. "Kurumu…Are you threatening me? Because if you're…Than the two of us can have a go."

Kurumu felt her anger rise even higher. She was so pissed off that she might just take the snow woman up on her offer. _Who does she think she is? This girls been annoying me just as much she's been annoying her, if not more. I've been really stressed out lately and I need someone to take it out on._

Mizore icy orbs locked onto her dark purple ones as two stood there quietly waiting for the other to make the first move. There was no way in hell she was going to sit on the sidelines any longer. Of course she had patience, but there were limits on just how long she was willing to wait._ I refuse to wait any longer, if I can't fight the little vampire than I'll fight you Kurumu…_

Yukari stared at her two friends who seemed to be turning against each other. She couldn't say she was surprised those two were always bickering, what else is new? The relationship that the four of them had was really strange. They were all competing for the affection of one guy and they did all they could to stay close to him. Even if they disliked each another they had to tolerate being in each other's company if they wanted to spend time with Tsukune. Yukari didn't mind too much, since her goal was to not only win Tsukune's heart, but Moka's as well.

At first the girls had started off disliking one another, which was common among rivals. But as time passed, their rivalry had caused them to become friends. Than that friendship blossomed into a sisterly relationship.

Moka usually tried to distance herself from the ongoing fights, but sometimes she would get involved. Usually it was because Kurumu would challenge her.

Like a little sister and a big sister would, Yukari and Kurumu would always tease each other. Yukari always would call the succubus stupid or bimbo or sometimes both just to piss her off. Kurumu on the other hand would always tease the witch about her small breast size. Though they exchanged insults on a daily basis, at the end of the day they had each other's back.

Mizore and Kurumu had a similar relationship; the difference was that they were the same age so their quarrels were a lot more intense. However it was a rare site to ever see those two on the same page. Though when did they cooperate with each other they made a formidable duo.

Kurumu was an energetic flirtatious girl who uses her body to her advantage. She's could be cocky at times and happens to be very confident in her sex appeal.

Mizore on the other hand happens to be a quiet girl who rarely shows emotion, unless it involves Tsukune of course. She's very self-aware, which causes her to be somewhat sensitive.

With such different personalities the two of them were bound to clash.

Yukari sighed, "There hopeless…"

Bringing her back to reality was the sound of a loud clang. She looked up to see her two friends in a dead lock. Their claws were forced up against each other, fighting for dominance.

Kurumu grinded her teeth as she forcefully began to push Mizore back. "I'm going to kick your ass snow skank!"

Hearing her declaration, Mizore forcefully pushed her back. "Right, like I'd lose to an air head like you."

The turquoise haired girl smirked, "Who are you calling air head? Your grades are almost as bad as mine."

"Keyword…Almost," Murmured the Yuki-Onna.

"Uhh! I'm sick of you!" Kurumu screamed before slicing through the top half of her ice claws. Both girls jumped back to create some distance. Almost as soon as Mizore's claws hit the floor, she grew another pair.

"The feelings mutual," Mizore said before firing several shards of ice out of her sleeve. Jumping in the air, Kurumu took flight. One clear advantage she had on Mizore was the ability to fight on the ground and in the air.

Kokoa watched carefully as the succubus and the snow woman began to fight it out. It didn't make since they were actually having a dispute over who got to fight her. It was almost laughable how easily they got distracted. _Well whatever…If they want to kill each other that's fine by me._

Turning head slightly to the right she locked on Moka. She was a standing next to that pathetic Tsukune and two guys she had never seen before. _They must be new students, no matter as long as they don't get in my way I won't have to bash their skulls in!_

Since Kurumu and Mizore were too busy fighting, she decided this was the perfect time to attack Moka. Picking up her giant hammer, she commanded the transforming bat to return to its first form. Obeying his master it began to change. The iron top that was the head was replaced with a round ball with spikes. The body that was wooden had changed into a metal pole. Kokoa sighed in contentment, "Good old morning star!"

Now that she had her weapon she began to whistle as she strolled on over to Moka. Unfortunately she didn't get too far, because her path was being obstructed by a small brunette who was only a few inches shorter than her.

The young vampire glared at the opposing girl. "Move it pipsqueak!"

Yukari smirked, "Sorry…But if you want to get to Moka you got to go through me." She hid her wand behind her back. This girl isn't stupid, but she's very impatient and that will be her downfall. "And I don't think you're in any position to be making fun of someone's height midget!"

Staring at the glowing wand for several seconds, Kokoa remembered something important. "I guess I can live with this, I need to pay you back for dropping that thing on my head earlier." Once again she began to pace in the witches direction, but this time she had a sadistic smirk on her face. "Prepare yourself for a world of pain…"

Yukari smiled confidently as the young girl stalked towards her. "I warn you not to underestimate me. Physically I'm not as strong as the other girls, but I' am smarter... Way smarter…"

"Thanks for the heads up shrimp, but it doesn't matter how smart you are. Strength is all that matters in this monster world!" The red headed dashed towards her while cocking back her gigantic weapon.

"Oh really?" Yukari's wand once again lit up and a gigantic spiked ball that looked similar to the one on Kokoa's morning star appeared in midair. Almost as soon as it had appeared, it began to descend at a rapid speed towards the ground.

Right when Kokoa got within the proper range to attack, she noticed the falling sphere. "Shit," immediately she started to slow down and eventually came to a stop. Hitting the ground hard, the sphere caused the ground to shake momentarily. The force of the impact created some debris. She didn't need to wait for the dust to clear, she already knew the damage that thing had caused. She could feel her heart pounding hard against her chest as she gazed at the giant sphere lodged in the earth. If I had stopped a second later I would have been crushed.

Feeling a bit uneasy, she looked up to see a golden tub coming down her. Quickly she rolled over to evade the object, but as soon as she moved another one was coming down. Rolling again, she stumbled to get to her feet. _Damn it! She's relentless!_ She inwardly screamed before dropping her morning star and running. At this rate, she wasn't going to get anywhere by caring such a large weapon. "I'll have to fight without it," She whispered to herself, while dodging a barrage of falling kitchen pots.

Making a u turn she sprinted back to Yukari who was dropping random items left and right. All I have to do is hit her once and she'll be down for good.

Yukari noticed her getting closer and she was a long range fighter so she needed to keep Kokoa at a distance. Spinning her wand and extending it, the magical stick began to glow. This attack should do the trick she thought with a smile.

Out of thin air, fifty household appliances appeared. Telephones, toasters, microwaves, and blenders floated in front of the pint size witch. She had to admit, she got some satisfaction from watching Kokoa's mouth drop in shock. "I wonder how many of these you can dodge before your hit."

Even though she was caught off guard by this, Kokoa still charged forward. "That won't stop me!"

"Will see…" After those words, the kitchen appliances went flying towards her. The first thing to head in her direction was a black toaster. Instead of dodging it, she punched the toaster with a lot of force, slightly cracking the machine before sending it back. She repeated this process, until there were no more appliances left.

Now that there was nothing else to keep her away, she could end this fight. As soon as she was close enough she through a furious punch at the brunette. Yukari was barely able to evade the punch, before taking her own swing at Kokoa. Easily Kokoa dodged it while smiling wickedly. "Is that the best you can do?!"

Not giving her a chance to respond, Kokoa swirled around and delivered a hard kick to the witch's mid-section. Yukari gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. The force of the kick sent the small girl flying. She comically soared through the air before landing hard on the concrete.

For a while, Kokoa stared at her motionless body with a grimace. _Damn, that pipsqueak was a lot tougher than I thought_. She never imagined such a low ranked monster could be such a pain._ I guess what father said was true; never judge a book by its cover._ Still in the end it didn't matter, there was no way in hell she was going to lose to a witch. Even if they did happen to be the same size, that girl was still younger and weaker than her.

Sighing, she walked over to her morning star and picked it up. Smirking she looked ahead at Moka who was staring back at her. The pink haired girl tried to keep a calm demeanor, but the fear was clear in her emerald orbs.

"Here I come, Moka…" she whispered while stalking towards her. She laughed when she saw Tsukune try to shield her. _Idiot, you can't protect her._

She continued to advance, until she randomly stopped. What the hell…She tried to move her arms but they wouldn't budge. Instead her arms lied lifelessly against her sides. Her legs were also frozen stiff. The only part of her body she could still control was her head. What the fuck is going on here? Why can't I move?

Suddenly her left foot drawled back. Gasping she stared at her lower appendage in shock. Am I being controlled? She wondered. Next her right foot drawled back. She felt like a puppet, but who was it that was pulling the strings. Kokoa was now walking backwards and back in the direction she came. After walking several feet backwards she came to an abrupt stop. Turning her head to look, behind her eyes widened in shock at what she saw.

Leaning against a brick wall was the little witch. She was holding her sides with one hand as she panted uncontrollably trying to catch her breath. It was obvious that she was still feeling the effects of Kokoa's devastating kick. In her other hand was a little doll. Yukari smiled as she raised the doll so Kokoa could have a good view.

"What the hell is that thing?"

Moving her opposite hand that was comforting her injured abdomen, she positioned it in front of the doll's head. Judging by the smile on her face, Kokoa was guessing this was a demonstration. Without saying a word, she flicked the dolls forehead hard.

"Oww!" She yelled.

Giggling the witch, raised the dolls hand and forced it punch its stomach. Mimicking the dolls movements, Kokoa lifted her own hand and punched her lower abdomen. "Ahh fuck!" she screamed while hunching over and gasping for air. Lifting her head off the ground she glared at the brunette. _I get it now; she's using that doll to control my body. What I don't understand is how she's doing it. Is this some kind of spell or magic trick?_

Yukari smiled, "So…How do you like my voodoo doll Kokoa? Pretty neat right?"

_Did she say voodoo doll? I've heard of those before. There dolls that you use to manipulate a human being. I thought that thing looked familiar. But wait…The only way those things work, is if you have a strand of the person's hair and there's no way she could of got even a string of mine._

The brunette smiled as she held the doll in a tight grip to make sure she didn't move an inch. "By now I'm sure you figured out what this thing does." Kokoa didn't answer the question she just continued glaring back at her while letting out an irritated growl. "Going off the quizzical expression that's plastered on your face I assume you're wondering how I'm controlling you."

Kokoa scoffed, "I already know how you're controlling me, and you took a strand my hair and placed it in that damn doll. What I don't understand is how you got even a piece of my hair…"

"Simple, don't you remember when you attacked me?"

Kokoa confusedly raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, what about it?"

"Right before you landed that kick; I took a swing at you," Yukari said. "I missed on purpose; I was never aiming for your face."

Immediately Kokoa's eyes shot open in realization, "That's when you did it! But I didn't even feel a thing."

The brunette giggled, "What can I say? I'm crafty…I' am a witch after all."

X-X-X-X-X-X

"Well… I didn't see that coming…" Naruto remarked while watching the fight between Kokoa and Yukari come to an end. Though he was rooting for Yukari to win the fight, he thought that the vampire girl was going to win for sure. She was such a ferocious opponent and her tenacity was unreal.

Gaara nodded, "That vampire girl did have the advantage, but she underestimated her opponent which led to her defeat."

Moka didn't really know how to feel about the outcome of the fight. She was proud of Yukari for improving over the summer, but she still felt bad. There was a good chance that Kokoa was going to beat herself up for losing to a monster of a lower rank. She could already tell by her glowering expression that she was frustrated beyond belief. "Kokoa…"

"Hey Moka," Tsukune said with a tap on her shoulder.

"Yes?"

"You might want to take a look at this…"

"Huh?" The bubble gum haired girl turned around and Tsukune pointed to the volleyball courts that were fifty meters away from them. The damage that had been done was severe so wasn't going to go unnoticed. There were claw scratched all over the ground and the volley ball nets were shredded. The metal poles were split in two and ice shards decorated the black and white concrete. The worst part was Kurumu and Mizore were still going at it.

Naruto chuckled, "Damn they really messed up the place!"

Gaara sighed. He seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. "That's an understatement."

"Alright, I think we let this go on long enough. We need to put an end to this before those two destroy anything else. Yukari and Kokoa have already inflicted damage." Tsukune started to walk over to stop them when he felt at gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Wait Tsukune…I don't think it's wise for you to go over there. Mizore and Kurumu are dead set on hurting each other and I don't want you to get caught up in the crossfire," Moka remarked with concern.

Tsukune frowned, "Well we got to do something."

"I can help…" Naruto murmured, causing Gaara to grimace. They had just talked about keeping a low profile and now he wants to get involved in a conflict with two female monsters.

Declining the blonde's offer Moka shook her head, "That's kind of you Naruto, but I should be the one who ends this."

"Uhh…Are you sure about this?" Naruto asked. "Don't you think it's a little too dangerous?" He didn't like the idea of her trying to break up their fight. She seemed like the gentle type who didn't like violence. However, her chakra is well above average.

"Don't worry, just leave it to me." She smiled enthusiastically, "Tsukune would you do the honors?"

Tsukune nodded with a smile as he reached for the Rosario cross that was wrapped around her neck and nuzzled in her bosom. In one swift motion he yanked the lock off. Not a second later a huge beam of light engulfed her. The rays of the light were strong so the boys had to shield their eyes. The energy she was emitting was immense; Naruto and Gaara weren't quite sure what was going on but they'd know soon enough. When the brief lightshow was over, they unveiled their eyes.

Naruto blinked several times trying to find words to explain what he was seeing. Moka looks hadn't changed much, but it was different nonetheless. Her once bubblegum pink hair was now colored silver. Those beautiful emerald eyes of hers were also gone. Her orbs were now crimson with slits just like Kokoa's were earlier. Another noticeable change was her fangs. They were larger than they were before. She also grew a pair of sharp nails to top it all off. She was a darker version of the girl from before but still just as beautiful.

The most significant change of all was the change in energy. Both Naruto and Gaara were aware of the nature of her chakra. However it was suppressed and bottled up so they didn't think too much of it. Now that they got to feel it up close and unleashed they had to admit they were astonished. The amount she had was impressive.

Naruto couldn't stop gazing at her. "She's…Different…"

The red head concentrated his gaze on the transformed woman, "This must be her true form."

Tsukune nodded, "Yes, Moka's vampire blood is very powerful so it has to be suppressed with the rosary she wears around her neck. When the rosary is removed her true power is unleashed."

Taking notice to the two new males, Inner Moka turned to face them. Her eyes focused on the blonde and red head who just stared back with different expression. The blonde's mouth was hung open in shock, while the red head seemed uninterested in the whole situation. _Why do they smell like Tsukune did when he first came to this school? Like humans. Still there's no way they could be humans looking like that._

_There appearances are very strange. The blonde one has whiskers, while the red head has black rings surrounding his eyes. Why do their faces have animal characteristics?_

Her crimson eyes narrowed as she continued her distrustful gaze. She could sense something from them, something dark, something sinister. She had never felt such an evil sensation. Yes there was definitely more to these strangers than they had led on. She listened to them talk while she was still within the seal. They seemed like ordinary guys, but listening wasn't enough for her to give a proper assessment.

Though she wanted to observe them a bit longer, it was time for her to take care of business. Looking over her shoulder she spotted the two girls battling a distance away. Mizore had just cut down a small portion of the bleachers near the football field in attempt to strike Kurumu. _Wow there so busy with their petty dispute that they can't even sense my presence. I have to say I'm very disappointed._

Eventually her lips curled up into a devilish smirk, which gave them a perfect view of her sharp fangs.

"I'll be right back…"

**5 minutes later**

Sitting on the stone steps outside of the auditorium were Kurumu and Mizore. Their bodies were decorated with bruises and contusions. The most noticeable injury was large bump that adorned their craniums. The number they did on one another was incredible, but that didn't even compare to what the awakened Moka did. Fortunately for them they both healed pretty quickly for not having any regenerative powers. Still, they were going have to go to fifth and sixth period looking a mess.

"Damn my heads killing me," Kurumu groaned while rubbing her throbbing noggin.

Mizore nodded, "It's been so long I forgot how deadly her kicks were."

Of course the snow woman was referring to the kick that sent them flying clear across campus. The worst part was they didn't even see her coming. Hell they didn't even know that Moka had awakened. They were so caught up in their fight that they had completely dropped their guard, which was something either of them rarely did. "It seems we still got a lot more training to do."

On the ground across from them, leaning against a wired fence was Kokoa and Yukari. Just like the other girls they sported large bumps on their skulls the only difference was that they were knocked out. Both girls had weird smiles on their faces as they lied next to one another unconscious.

Kurumu raised a brow as she stared at the perverted smile on Yukari's face and the content grin that was plastered on Kokoa's. "I wonder what they're happy about. They just got their asses kicked."

"Who knows," Mizore replied with indifference. Her cold eyes wondered over to the temporarily comatose girls sprayed out on the floor. Their facial expressions were creepy considering their current state. "Weirdoes…"

"Well I hope you girls are feeling better."

Recognizing the powerful feminine voice, Kurumu and Mizore both turned their heads to see inner Moka sauntering toward them with something in her hands. With every step she made their heart beats sped up a little bit. The sound of her heels clicking against the pavement made them cringe in anticipation of another beating. Usually they wouldn't mind going up against inner Moka, but in their current state they wouldn't even be able to lay a finger on her. With nothing else to do, they closed their eyes and prepared for pain. When nothing happened they slowly opened their eyes to see two outstretched hands with bags of ice.

"Here…"

The succubus raised a brow while gazing up at the vampire. "What?"

Moka sighed before running a few unoccupied fingers through her silver strands. "Your heads are hurting right? Well hears some ice to ease the pain."

Kurumu managed a faint smile of gratitude before grabbing one of the bags and placing it on the side of her head. The coolness that the bag produced did wonders for her pounding head.

Mizore shook her head while looking at the melting bag of ice, "No thanks I don't think that's going to do me any good."

"Oh that's right you're naturally cold." Moka rested up her thumb under her chin as she tried to think of something else. _There wasn't really much else she could do. Damn… Maybe I shouldn't have kicked them so hard. Maybe I could go down to the infirmary to see if they have any pain relieving medicine_.

"It's okay, don't worry about it, I'll be fine," Mizore remarked in a low tone. "Anyways where are Tsukune and the new guys?"

Moka crossed her arms and rested them beneath her generous breast. "The three of them headed to class. They wanted to stay and see if you were alright, but I told them I'd take care of you."

Kurumu nodded in understanding and then rose to her feet. Dusting off all the pieces of rubble on her skirt she turned to Mizore. "Hey stalker freak, we should start heading to class since the bells going to be ringing any minute now." They didn't have the same fifth period class, but the rooms were close to each other so they always walked together.

"I'm ready when you are skank," was the snow woman's only response as she stood up.

The succubus stared at the unconscious Yukari and shook her head in disapproval. She still had that perverted smile on her face, which made her look somewhat creepy. Sighing she picked up the pint sized brunette and slung her over shoulder. _I might as well drop Yukari off at her honor's class since were heading in that direction,_ she thought. Once she had her resting securely over her shoulder they began to walk to class.

"Hold on…"

Both girls stopped and turned back around to face the awakened Moka. "Yes?" They asked in unison. They didn't even bother trying to hide their irritation. After getting their asses kicked, all they wanted to do was finish school go to their dorms and rest. However the girl responsible for their pain was now holding them up.

"Am I right in assuming you two have learned your lesson?"

Kurumu snarled, "Don't tell me you're holding us so you could gloat and lecture, because we don't have time for that shit." The busty girl was really annoyed right now and she didn't have the patience to be treated like a child by a girl who was the same age as her.

Moka's eyes narrowed, but she remained calm and cool as usual. "No…Those are not my intentions. What I want to talk to you about is something of a more serious nature. I know you need to get to class so I won't keep you long."

For once Mizore looked somewhat interested. It was rare for Inner Moka to converse with them since she was always either sealed or fighting for their sake and even after that she would immediately put her rosary back on and revert to Outer Moka. Whatever it is, it must be important.

Kurumu understood that this was probably important, but she couldn't afford to be late again. She had already been tardy twice since school started; one more and she'd earn a ticket to detention. "Okay, I'll listen but please make it quick."

"Of course," she grinned. Getting straight to the point her facial expression changed from relaxed to solemn. "Those two new boys Naruto and Gaara, I'm guessing I don't have to tell you guys that there's something off about them."

"So you noticed it to?" Mizore questioned.

Moka nodded and then continued, "Yes, not only their appearances but their scents are also different."

Kurumu placed a hand on her hip as she held on to Yukari, "If you ask me they smell like humans."

"Precisely, the fact that they have a human scent is very unsettling. The only plausible explanation I can come up with is that they are hybrids just like those Anti-thesis fools that we fought last year." Though that was a good assumption, Moka couldn't help but feel a little uncertain about her resolution. If they're hybrids, they would most likely be reluctant about hanging out with pure blooded monsters.

No longer worried about class, Kurumu's mind began to go to work. "That is possible, but even if they were hybrids they wouldn't have the scent of a pure blooded human," she remarked.

Mizore nodded, "She's right; even Tsukune's scent has changed since you injected him with some of your vampire blood."

A slight frown appeared on the stoic vampire's face, "Yeah I guess you're right about that, but at this point Tsukune is far from human." Though there scent was a problem, the most troubling matter of all was there energy. For some reason she was able to sense it, without them even releasing it. When they had fought against Kuyou he had purposely released all of his Yokai energy in an attempt to intimidate them. The energy he released was intense, but it paled in comparison to the energy she sensed from the two newcomers.

What was even more alarming was the nature of the energy she sensed. Its vitality was far from pure, it was dark...Darker than her own Shinso power that's locked deep inside of her. Yes…Something was definitely wrong. "Tell me…? Did either of you sense something ominous from the two of them."

"Ominous?" Mizore questioned with narrowed eyes. "To be honest, I can't sense anything from them. Not even their energy, that's what's bothering me."

Kurumu tilted her head suspiciously. "Hmm…Why are you asking us this Inner Moka?" She questioned with a focused stare. Moka wasn't looking at her; she was actually facing the opposite direction. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere at the moment. Growling and grinding her teeth, the busty girl shouted, "MOKA!"

"Huh?" The silver haired girl turned to face them. "Oh sorry about that, I zoned out. Anyways will talk about this later, the bell is about to ring so you better get going if you don't want to be late. For now you guys should just keep a close eye on them."

"Uhh…But you were just telling us something important about the new guys!" Kurumu replied while scratching her head confusedly. "You can't just stop now!"

In a sterner voice the vampire repeated herself, "We'll talk about it later!"

Frightened the succubus nodded in an animated fashion.

"What about her?" Mizore asked pointing to the unconscious Kokoa.

Moka's crimson orbs shifted to her sleeping sister. With an annoyed scowl she gazed at her face in wonder. She still had that creepy smile on her face and it didn't suit her considering her personality. "I'll take care of her," She remarked calmly. There were something's that they needed to discuss anyway. "Now get going Yukari's starting to regain consciousness."

Kurumu eyes' widened and she heard a lazy groan. "Huh?" She looked at Yukari whose eyes were fluttering.

"What's going on?" Yukari muttered with half lid eyes.

Kurumu frowned, "Nothing, we're taking you to your honor's class twerp."

Yawning, the little witch murmured something about stupid bimbo's before closing her eyes.

"Hey brat don't go back to sleep!"

"Just let her, its better this way," Mizore said. "It would be a pain to have to explain things right now anyway," she inferred. "Let's go."

Kurumu and Mizore waved before leaving to walk back to class. Moka waved back at the retreating girls with a faint smile that she rarely shown. Originally she didn't think of them as her friends, just acquaintances she saw from time to time. That was basically the case until she had to appear more frequently because the amount of trouble that seemed to follow Outer Moka.

Whenever she was out of the seal, she was either beating someone up or lecturing the other girls. After a while she started looking at them as younger sisters. Sure they were the same age, but Inner Moka had the maturity of a grown woman in her early twenties. She didn't know if she could call them her friends, but she did have a soft spot for them, even if she wasn't willing to admit it.

Another bonus was that she was starting to actually interact with her other half through the seal. Ever since school started, Inner Moka and Outer Moka would talk whenever they were alone. They might have two different personalities, but they still shared the same body so it was important to keep tabs on one another. The two girls got to know one another better and also learned each other's habits.

For example, one of Outer Moka's favorite foods is tomato flavored noodles. Though she loved ramen noodles, her Inner counterpart didn't like the fact that she ate such salty foods on a normal basis. It wasn't healthy for a growing girl like her, especially if she was trying to watch her figure. On the other hand the Outer one also learned some interesting things about her. It turned out the Inner personality wasn't just blessed with fighting skills, but she was also quite good at sports, especially volleyball. However her cooking could use some improvement, which she was shamefully aware of.

Once the girls were out of her vision, she calmly exhaled, her small grin disappeared and was replaced with an annoyed scowl. "You can stop faking now Kokoa they're gone." Kokoa still didn't budge though; she just lied there without moving a muscle. The silver haired vampire looked over her shoulder to see if her little sister had dropped the charade. Kokoa was good at a lot of things but acting wasn't one of them. "If you don't open your eyes in five seconds, I will beat you till your black and blue and then you won't have to fake being unconscious because I won't stop kicking you until I accomplish just that…"

She grinned when she heard an accidental 'eep! Escape Kokoa's throat. Yeah she was awake alright. Annoyed, she rolled her eyes and stepped towards her. Cocking back her leg she delivered a solid kick to her mid-section.

"OW! BIG SIS THAT HURT!" The red head shouted while rolling over onto her back.

Moka snarled, "Quit whining I didn't even hit you that hard." Looking down at her younger sister she noticed that her eyes had returned to their normal emerald green, which meant her adrenaline rush must left her a long time ago. "Next time don't act like your sleep just so you can eavesdrop on other people's conversations."

Rubbing her aching stomach the younger girl groaned irritably. "How did you know?" She asked with a pouty face.

"You're a Vampire Kokoa, so your body is a lot sturdier than theirs. A little kick like that isn't enough to hurt you, besides I'm your sister I know your limits better than anyone."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," replied the younger vampire.

Once again Moka let a small smile form on her soft lips. "I can tell you've gotten stronger…" Her compliment caused Kokoa to gaze up at her in surprise. It had been such a long time since someone gave her compliment and she didn't just shrug it off like she didn't care about the person's opinion. No this was different; Moka's opinion meant everything to her. Even now she sat there waiting for her to finish her sentence like a fat kid waiting for a Hershey bar to fall to the bottom of a vending machine. "I'm proud of you."

Kokoa smiled as she stared back at her big sister. It had been years since they had last seen each other. When they were younger they would always spar with each other just for fun. Of course Moka would always win. Just reminiscing about the moments they spent battling in the dining hall of their father's mansion gave her a warm feeling inside. Her big sis was so beautiful and strong willed, that she wanted to be just like her one day. She was so happy about being with her sister that she didn't even care if about being late to class. Just seeing her silver strands blow carelessly in the wind made her look so magnificent. There was only one thing standing in the way of her getting her sister back. That stupid innocent fabricated version of her big sis.

_Don't worry sister Moka; I'll get rid of her along with the rest of those fools she hangs around with._

"Kokoa…"

"Yes big sis?" Kokoa replied.

With a stern look in her eyes she asked, "How much did you hear?"

The red head chuckled mischievously, "Enough to know the new boys might end up being a pretty big threat!" Her eyes were filled with excitement. "I thought they smelled funny, but I didn't think too much of it since I was a little distracted at the moment."

"I see, "Moka responded tranquilly.

"Yeah, but I'm sure you can kick their asses no sweat!" The confidence in her sister's abilities was evident in her proud voice.

_I'm not so sure about that,_ Moka thought. _Whether they're monsters or humans is a mystery, but there far from ordinary that much I can tell._

When the older vampire didn't respond immediately like she had been, Kokoa knew something was bothering her. This time she could feel the uneasiness radiating off her and it was starting to affect her as well. Unsure of what she was thinking, Kokoa stood up and walked over to her.

"Sis…What's wrong?"

Shaking her head she turned away from her. "It's nothing." With a wave of her hand she started pacing forward. "Come on I'll walk you to class…"

Quickly forgetting the awkward silence that had transpired only seconds ago, Kokoa perked up after hearing her big sis's gesture. "Really? But the fake Moka's late for class; wouldn't you be better off heading straight to fifth period?" She asked as she ran to catch up to her. Now walking side by side with Moka she smiled devilishly. "You never use to break the rules; I guess being stuck in that seal for so long has made you a bit rebellious."

The silver haired girl smirked, "Hmm…Maybe." She murmured while watching Kokoa out of the corner of her eye. In truth she wasn't worried about being late because Outer Moka's attendance record was almost perfect. One or two belated appearances wasn't going to hurt anyone.

It was nice to see Kokoa happy and carefree. She was the only one who really got to see this side of her besides the rest of their family. One day she was going to have to grow up and learn to open up to others if she ever wanted to make friends.

"Kokoa, I want you stop attacking the other Moka and the rest of her friends."

Instantly the red head whipped her head around to stare up at her older sister with an annoyed glare. Growling menacingly she said, "I…Refuse…"

Moka's eye's widened in shock. It was a rare site to see Kokoa defying one of her older sisters. "What do you mean you refuse?"

Kokoa huffed while folding her arms underneath her a cup breast, "I mean I'm not going to stop till I get rid of that goody goody who replaced you!"

"Listen, I'm not asking you to stop Kokoa, I'm telling you. If you keep this up either you or one of the others are going to get hurt."

"Ha! That's fine by me! I don't know why your other half hangs out with those inferior monsters anyway!" She retorted with an irritated snort. "She's an S class monster for god sake! Have some damn pride!"

For what it felt like the millionth time, the older sibling sighed and shook her head in disapproval. She had always been like this, judging others by their strength and their rank, but always forgetting what truly mattered. If she wanted to get stronger she was going to have to stop being selfish and think about others for a change. _Well the only true way to get through to her is by upsetting her._ "There's more to strength than a person's rank, I thought losing to Yukari today would have taught you that."

Kokoa snorted, "Psshhh…That little brat got lucky! That's all!"

Moka couldn't help but smile at the immaturity of her little sister. "Brat? That's kind of funny coming from you."

"DAMN IT! I'M BEING SERIOUS BIG SIS!" The red head yelled comically as they paced down the narrow halls.

For the first time in a long time, Inner Moka laughed. It had been a years since she had laughed about anything. Hell she never really even smiled and she only smirked when she had the upper hand on an opponent. Laughing hysterically, she pushed her hands back and forth towards Kokoa to let her know she didn't mean any harm.

Kokoa seemed upset, but on the insides she was beaming with happiness. She couldn't even remember the last time she saw her laugh. They were probably children the last time she witnessed her even stifle a giggle at one of the family's functions. _I hope I can see that smile more often._

After about a five minute walk they finally arrived at their destination, which was located downstairs on Hallway number 3. Coming to a halt, Moka looked up at the room number of the door halfway down the hall. "Room 3-7," She mumbled. "This is your fifth period class correct?"

Kokoa nodded, but continued to stare back at her. Those green eyes of hers were focused on Moka's crimson ones. For some odd reason, she seemed reluctant about entering the class.

"Well what are you waiting for? Get in there."

"Big Sis!" She screamed before lunging towards her and wrapping her small arms around her curvaceous frame. "I've missed you!" she cried. The hot tears that emerged from her eyes wondered down her fair skin and onto Moka's breast. Every few seconds she sniffled and mumbled incoherent words about old times and fighting.

"Kokoa," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around her small frame to tighten their sisterly embrace. At that moment, she truly understood what was going on. It was obvious that the red headed vampire had been lonely. Their two older sisters were older than them and also had completely different personalities.

Still now that she was going to a public school she finally had a chance to make new friends. Moka knew that if her little sister wanted to gain acceptance, than she wasn't going to have to be willing to get to know other people, instead of judging them instantly. "Kokoa you don't have to be alone anymore." Her voice was very soothing and it seemed to calm her down. "You can make new friends."

Stepping away from her Kokoa gazed at her in wonder, "Yeah like who?"

"Like the other Moka for example…"

Shaking her head vigorously in frustration she balled her small hands into fists. "No screw that shit, she's not my big sister! You are!"

Moka sighed, "You say that…But you two are more alike than you realize."

Kokoa grunted, "How so!?"

Smiling, the crimson haired girl flicked her forehead playfully, "Just try and get to know her and you'll see. Now dry your tears spaz, crying is very unbecoming of an S class monster." Nodding, the red head grinned one last time before heading into her classroom.

Watching the door close behind her, the smile that adorned her radiant face disappeared. "You've got a lot to learn… Kokoa." she murmured before she proceeded to saunter down the hallway. Her little sister was a smart girl but never used her brain on the battlefield. She always depends on her physical capabilities instead of her mental. That's exactly why she had lost to Yukari today. If she wishes to improve then she'll have to learn some patience.

Another thing that she needed to be taught was the value of friendship. In that regard she couldn't blame Kokoa for having that mindset because most their race thought along the same lines. They only fought for their own selfish reasons. _To gain acceptance you must be willing to accept other_s.

Reaching into the pocket of her Yokai jacket she pulled out her metallic rosary cross. Curiously she played with the object while gazing at intently. The way the red jewel in the middle of the cross gleamed in the dim hallway made the vampire smirk. _Hmm…Maybe you can help her with that._

**To be continued…**

**There's chapter 5, I hope it was to your liking. I know a lot of you are probably disappointed that Naruto and Gaara having such little involvement in this chapter. I bet many people expected to see them fight, but I don't like the idea of them beating up on girls, not to mention girls that are weaker than they are. I also wanted to explore the sisterly relationship between Kokoa and Moka.**

**It's clear that some of you are waiting to see Naruto and Moka fight like they did in other fics. I'm not saying it's not going to happen, but I'm not saying it is going to happen either. It's not that I don't want to put it into this fic, it's just I don't like copying other writers, I kind of like doing my own thing. But will see…**

**Well that's all I got to say! Till next time. See ya!**


	6. Chapter 6 : Friendly Acquaintancies

Hey everyone what's good? I'm back! And I apologize because I know I'm tardy to the party, but I've gone through some significant changes lately so I'm sorry for failing to update sooner. But I'm grateful to all of you guys who message me asking about the story and its status. Things like that really make me feel accomplished as a writer.

For those of you who do nothing but hate on this fic, well… I don't really have much to say but kiss my ass. Sorry I hate to be so frank, but I kind at the point in my life where I really don't care what haters and flamers think. Like I said I've gone through some life changing experiences in the past few months which have really changed my outlook on life as a whole. I'm not going to go into too much detail…But I'll give you a short summary

First off I would like to inform you guys that I have found employment so that's one of the reasons why I haven't updated and I'm also preparing to get back in college, not to mention the fact that I've been hanging out with my friends more often, and I've been trying to work things out with my girlfriend. To be honest I had been neglecting them since I've joined fanfiction last year so I decided I needed to change that. I was also in a major depression so that's why I had spent so much time writing and reading stories… But that's over now and I feel much better! I know you guys aren't interested in my personal life, but I'm just letting you know why I've been M.I.A "Missing in Action" For those of you who don't know.

Now before we get into the chapter, I think I'm going to let you guys know a little more about this story because I think some of you readers don't understand what it's really about. First off this isn't one of those crossover fics when Naruto and Gaara go to another world and become heroes or saviors if you will. Don't get me wrong there will be plenty of action, comedy, and romance, but what this fic is truly about is friendship. Naruto and Gaara's journey in the monster world is supposed to be a huge learning experience for them. So those of you who are expecting this fic to be like the others you're in for a rude awakening.

Also the point of view will shift sometimes. Though Naruto and Gaara are the main characters I will also be getting into the heads of the other characters as well. Now that I think I have said everything that I wanted to say… Onto the chapter!

Don't forget to review my friends and haters!

**Chapter 6: Friendly Acquaintances**

Standing on her tippy toes outside of her fifth period class, Mizore gazed questionably through the glass window. Not bothering to check out the rest of the class, her cold blue eyes landed on her instructor. Ms. Aspara was a cooking teacher from India, with an accent to match. She was a nice lady who was helpful with an unlimited amount of patience. She was always assisting students who couldn't get into the flow of things. Her advice was golden for the few males who took her class, since cooking meals wasn't exactly a field that boys specialized in. The only thing to be aware of when it came to her cooking habits was the amount of spices she added. The lady was really eccentric when it came to the flavor of the food. In her opinion food could never be too spicy.

Mizore loved her cooking class since she was trying to become the perfect housewife for a certain brunette. Still, being the quite girl that she was she never really asked for help. Whenever she struggled with something she'd always try to deal with it on her own. Though that is how she usually handled things, Ms. Aspara was sure to give her a few pointers. She wasn't as good a cook as Kurumu but she was average. Her only problem was when she got nervous or upset she would accidentally freeze her food.

Whenever the girls teased her Mizore would end up freezing them and storming out of the classroom. Eventually Aspara pulled her to the side and gave her a little talk to calm her down and relax her nerves. Ever since then, Mizore has felt pretty comfortable around her. She was glad that she was able to connect with a teacher after what had happened with Mr. Kotsubo the year before. One thing she knew for sure was not to piss her off.

Aspara may have been a nice teacher, but it was wise not to get on her bad side.

Despite her polite nature, she was very strict when it came to punctuality and had zero tolerance for disrespect. On the first day some girl made a snide remark about her choice of clothes. After class Ms. Aspara had a long talk with her and the next day the rude girl was sweeter than a Girl Scout. The snow woman didn't know what she did or said to make the girl so obedient, but she sure wasn't in a rush to find out.

Sneaking into class was out of the question. Ms. Aspara had already begun her lecture.

Now she was regretting taking her sweet time getting to class. Taking Yukari to her honor's class took longer than expected since they had to take a longer route than usual so they wouldn't have to answer questions about caring around an unconscious preteen.

When they had finally got her to her class, they dropped her on a random desk and ran out before her chemistry teacher could interrogate them. Kurumu's had math with Ririko Kagome which was close so Mizore decided to walk her there. Most of the way they argued and threatened each other. With their rude remarks, it wasn't too long before they got to Kurumu's class.

After exchanging a few more crude insults the two girls said their goodbyes. Most people who saw them interact with one another thought they had an unhealthy friendship and maybe they were right. Regardless, Mizore and Kurumu were satisfied with it and that was all that mattered.

She was going to go to fifth period right after but decided to take a stop at the little girl's room. 'Better to be safe than sorry' is what she had thought. When she was walking down the hallway toward the restroom she saw Inner Moka walking toward her. Before the vampire could noticed her she crouched down behind a trash ben that was nearby. When Moka had passed her she noticed her staring intently at her Rosary.

_I wonder what that was all about. _Shaking her head she tried to refocus on the task at hand. Observing the caramel women, she noticed that she was smiling. _Alright she's in good spirits today, so that makes things easier._Stepping back from the door, the purple haired girl exhaled.

Gripping the door knob, she slowly began to turn it clockwise. Pushing the door open, she quietly walked into the classroom. Before she could head for her desk she was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Miss Shirayuki?"

Mizore paused mid-stride and turned to face the class instructor. Faking a smile would be a waste of time, since she knew it wouldn't help. Instead she decided to keep her usual bored expression. "Yes, Aspara sensei."

The caramel beauty smiled, "May I ask why you are late?"

Keeping her usual calm composure she stuck her cold hands in her jacket pockets to assume her usual stance. "Sorry sensei, Gin had the newspaper club working over time," she lied. People could say what they want about Mizore being shy and quiet, but she didn't know anyone who had a better poker face than she did. "There was an article about the cafeteria food that needed to be revised."

Aspara gazed at the young girl with uncertainty. Her brown eyes narrowed and her mouth was in a thin line. She really didn't know what to believe. The girl had bruises on her body and her clothes were partially torn. If she was to go with her gut she would probably say that Mizore was lying, her clothes were the obvious evidence. Rubbing her forehead in frustration, the Indian woman sighed. "Alright, I'll take your word for now."

"Thank you sensei," She replied with a gracious bow.

Humming, the older woman continued. "Shizuka Nekonome is the overseer of the newspaper club correct?"

"Uhh…Yes."

"I see. Then next time I want you to bring me a note from her to explain your tardiness. Do you understand Miss Shirayuki?"

Mizore nodded, "Yes ma'am"

_That was easier than I thought. _With that taking care of she casually made her way to her seat usual spot, second seat of the last row. When she got there she noticed a red head was already sitting in her seat. With a fake cough she got the girls attention.

"Hey…"

Annoyed by the interruption, the petite girl turned to face her. "What do you want Mizore?"

"You know good and damn well that I sit there," She murmured in a low tone.

Smirking she simply replied, "So… It's not my fault you were late for class. Why should I move when I was here first?"

Keeping her cool demeanor, Mizore removed the lollipop from her mouth so she could speak clearly. "Deshiko…Can you please sit somewhere else?" She was trying to be polite, but she had a feeling that she was wasting her time.

The brunette snorted while tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear, "Nope, sorry weirdo but you snooze you lose. Why don't you go sit somewhere else you frosty reject?"

Mizore sighed and closed her eyes. "I see," she said before placing the sucker back into her oral cavity. Instantly her hands took the form of frozen daggers. Seeing the snow woman's icy claws caused the prissy girl to sweat bullets. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to reconsider?"

Seeing Mizore's claws Aspara became alarmed. _Not again Mizore, _she thought while standing up to get the snow woman's attention, "Mizore!"

The purple haired beauty turned around, "Hmm?"

"You know the rules. There are no assigned seats, its first come first serve. Miss Deshi was their first so you're going to have to find somewhere else to sit."

Mizore grunted before returning her attention to the girl at hand. The red haired stared back smugly while sticking out her tongue. Now that teacher supported her she wasn't scared anymore_, Coward._

Giving the room a quick scan she couldn't find any available seats. "Well…Where the hell am I supposed to sit then?"

The caramel women smiled, as her eyes went to the back of the room. Her eyes landed on a young man sitting by himself at one of the tables in the back. "How about there?" she asked while nudging her head in the male's direction.

"Huh?" Mizore turned around to see a red headed male sitting by himself. His elbows were propped up on the large desk and his fingers were interlaced while his chin rested on them.

_It's him… _She thought with narrowed eyes.

Getting the boy's attention, Ms. Aspara shouted to him, "Mister Sabaku!"

Hearing his name Gaara opened his sea green eyes to give the teacher his attention. "Hnn…"

"There are no more desks or tables available, do you mind if Miss Shirayuki sits with you?" The stoic male didn't reply with words, he just gave the woman a silent nod of approval. "Alright Mizore, he's a new student so try and be polite." The Yuki-Onna was already aware of this, but felt it was unnecessary to mention.

Reluctantly, she walked to the back of the room and pulled out the chair next to the red head and took her seat. She hated sharing space with someone else unless it was Tsukune of course. For her working at desk alone was a lot more comfortable than sharing a table with another student.

Though she disliked the seating arrangements, she decided to make the best of the situation. Using her peripheral vision she watched Gaara while still keeping her eyes on Ms. Aspara who was currently discussing today's cooking assignment. Quietly the young man sat there in his usual relaxed posture. _He's just sitting there not even moving a muscle. He's like a statue. _She was hoping he'd at least say something since; he didn't speak at all when they were first introduced, but you can hardly call that an introduction because neither of them said a word.

Being so close to him she can smell him without even trying. There was no doubt that he carried the scent of a human. Her mind then went back to lunch time in the cafeteria. When she was following him the ground had shook causing her to stop. During that interval she had took her eyes off him for only a second and he had disappeared, only to reappear moments later to stop Naruto's attack on the student he was fighting.

She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about him that intrigued her. Other than the obvious things, such as his smell, appearance and his purpose for being at the academy, there was something else. His personality, the way he conducted himself was completely different. She had only been observing this guy for about two hours if you add up lunch and first period. In that short amount of time she could already tell that he had the maturity of a fully grown man. For some reason she didn't think he was pretending either.

Most of the males on campus were either, immature perverts, geeks, or weirdoes. Even his cousin Naruto was different. Yeah he seemed like a nice guy, but it was evident that he had a lecherous side after Kurumu caught him staring at her breasts. Not only that, but the blonde also had a sense of humor to go along with his playful personality.

_But this guy doesn't show an interest in anything. _Hell she was surprised that a guy like him even picked cooking as an elective class. _He probably didn't have a choice in the matter since him and the blonde enrolled late._

Mizore by no rights was a conceited girl, but she knew she was attractive. She didn't get as much attention as Moka, but no other girl did either. Nevertheless she was confident in her sex appeal and little shocked that the red head hadn't even give her a single glance.

"Is something the matter?"

Blinking a few times, Mizore looked to her left to see Gaara staring at her curiously. "Huh?" His light green eyes seem to pierce her blue ones which made her feel kind of strange.

"Is there something wrong?"

Shaking her head the snow woman replied, "No…Everything's fine; I was just thinking about something. But thanks for asking." Gaara stared at her for several more moments before returning his attention to the front of the classroom.

She was actually quite surprised that he had spoken to her. _I guess he only talks when it's necessary._

"Ok class, now get started!"

"Get started?" she murmured to herself. "Get started on what?" She wasn't paying attention, the whole time she was spaced out so she didn't even hear her sensei instructions. Now, she was just sitting there with this blank look plastered on her face. Her mind had been so preoccupied with the new guy that she couldn't even concentrate on her classwork.

"You didn't miss much."

She turned to her partner to seem him sitting their calmly still facing the teacher. That was the second time he spoke to her.

"We are supposed to pair up and then await further instructions," he continued.

"Oh…" the snow woman replied slowly. Observing her classmates, she saw them scramble around in search of a suitable partner. Well not suitable, more like compatible. Most of the students were pairing up with friends or someone they got along with, which is normal in high school. _The smart thing to do would be to pair up with someone who's a good cook._

_Fools…_

As she watched all the remaining students dwindle away, she began to inwardly sulk. _At times like this I miss having the company of that skanky succubus._

She and Kurumu didn't always get along, but they were still friends…Sort of. At a time like this, the busty girls baking skills would come in handy, but unfortunately they were placed in different classes.

Once again snapping her out of her musing was the deep voice of her neighbor.

"Mizore…Is it?"

"Huh?"

"That's your name correct?"

"Uhh…Yes," She answered hesitantly. His sudden change was really starting to catch her off guard.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that we're partners," he said while nudging his head north. Looking ahead she could see all of their other classmates were already paired up and sitting in different seats.

Gaara really didn't understand this woman. She was so quiet and soft spoken unlike her friends. Of course she was sarcastic and a little ill tempered, but other than that she rarely talked. The only time she seemed to want to chat was when she was around Tsukune.

_She really is a strange one._ Since they had met in first period he had notices whenever she thought he wasn't looking, she'd stare at him. He could feel her cold eyes beaming down on his frame. Well in the end of the day it didn't matter, he never really could understand woman. If she wanted to observe far be it from him to stop her.

"Yeah, looks that way doesn't it?" She replied.

Ms. Aspara watched her students and waited patiently for them to settle down before proceeding. "Alright next I want someone from your group to come up and select the meal that you will be preparing from this box!"

Mizore turned to her left to meet eyes with her partner. Without saying a word the snow woman gave him nod to let him know that she would be the one to go. Standing up, Mizore walked to the front of the class and stuck her hand in the box without looking since peeking was obviously against the rules. After shuffling her hand around for a few seconds she pulled out their selected meal and gave it a once over.

Walking back to her table she took a seat next to the red head. "Take a look," she muttered before handing the red head the card she pulled out of the box.

"Liver and onions," he read in a blasé tone. He wasn't really all that interested in this class to begin with. Cooking wasn't something he gave much thought. When he was younger he use to fend for himself and when he became closer to his siblings, Temari had begun to cook for the three of them.. Even so, he wanted something a little less conventional than liver and onions, but he wasn't one to complain. Food was food after all.

Folding her hands behind her head, Mizore casually leaned back in her chair. "Pretty lame right, I was hoping for something more extravagant," she mused.

"Alright class that's it for today, you can relax for the rest of the period," Aspara said. She was happy today was such an easy day, she had been feeling pretty stressed out lately. "Tomorrow you guys will be cooking, so be sure to bring the necessary ingredients!"

Now that there was nothing else to do the students started to converse. Whenever they had free time they were sure to take advantage of it, especially the females. They loved to gossip about the latest news, like whose gotten fat or who's the schools newest whore. There were fewer guys in the class, about five in total and four of them were all sitting together.

You didn't have to be a genius to guess what they were discussing. Last night's football game or which girl they would like to bang. Going off their perverted faces and wondering eyes it was probably the latter. The male students of Yokai academy were very predictable. They're always thinking with the brain in their pants, instead of using the one in their skulls.

Mizore couldn't stand dealing with the males at this school. They were so immature and perverted. One of the four boys even had the nerve to look her way. When she realized the boy was staring at her, he gave her a flirtatious wink.

He was a kid of average height with silver hair, blue eyes, and a nice pair of white teeth. To put it short he was a pretty boy. Unfortunately for her pretty boys didn't fall under the category of her type. Annoyed she returned his stare with an expression of distaste.

_Disgusting…_

Not at all deterred by her grimace, he gave her a knowing smirk that said 'You'll come around' before going back to conversing with his friends.

Rolling her eyes, she lazily hunched over the table with her arms folded. _I might as well relax till the end of class, there's nothing else to do. _If Tsukune were there she could think of many ways to keep herself busy and almost all of them were provocative. Hell, she would love to even have Kurumu with her at the moment, that's how bored she was. The two of them would be arguing, but at least she'd be entertained.

Maybe if she was a little more social she could get along with others better. She didn't know why but it was hard for her to trust people. At first she had thought it had something to do with her race, since snow woman are known for isolating themselves. But no that was far too simplistic. Though her people were quiet by nature, they all seemed to smile and be happy even though they were now few in number.

No there was something wrong with her. She had never felt like anyone understood her until she met Tsukune. That's why he was so important to her because she was the only one who could understand her. _Will I always be an outcast? Will I ever be…?_

_Normal?_

Sighing, she turned her head with her eyes only slightly ajar. When those depressed orbs met light the first thing they landed on was the sleeping form of the suspicious red head next to her.

Or is he just resting his eyes?

There he sat upright eyes shut with his arms folded across his chest. When she looked at his face he looked so content. He had a very appealing face to say the least. Observing him closer she had noticed something that she hadn't paid much attention to before, but now that she was a little closer she could see clearly_. Is that a tattoo? _She wondered. Squinting a few times she quietly propped herself up on her elbows. _Or is it something else?_

Without knowing she started to slowly inch toward him. _What does it say? _She couldn't exactly read it since his auburn hair partially covered the marking. She kept inching toward them till she was only a foot away from his face. "It's a kanji," she whispered, but for what? Getting a little closer she was finally able to decipher the marking_. It's a kanji for…_

_Love._

Suddenly his eyes snapped open and she froze. She was caught. How could she even explain herself? She was nervous...Her heartbeat felt like it had doubled within the last five seconds. Good thing she had a knack for hiding her emotions. As if nothing had happened she just straightened herself up.

"What's with the Kanji for love?" she asked abruptly. She might as well get straight to the point since he had caught her staring.

"What?" He asked slightly bewildered.

Calmly she pointed to the mark on his head, "The mark on your forehead…How long have you had it?"

The red head looked at her with uncertainty. It was a topic he really wasn't comfortable discussing. Though things were different now, the scars from the past would always haunt him no matter how much he's grown. With pain in his eyes, he reluctantly he answered, "Since I was 6 years old."

Mizore's eyes widened, _since he was six years old?_ That's preposterous what kind of child has a marking on them at such a young age. "If you don't mind me asking…How did you get it?"

"I'd…Rather not say…"

Mizore was disappointed, but out of respect she decided not to press on, "Oh…Alright." Maybe she crossed some sort of boundaries. At times like this, she wondered if she wasn't feminine enough.

Sensing the awkwardness in the atmosphere Gaara decided to change the subject to something else. "So…" He started. He really was horrible in these types of situations. Dealing with women was such a stressful endeavor. "Are you feeling better now?"

"What do you mean?" she asked with her head tilted in a curious fashion.

"Well when we left, you and your friend were in pretty bad shape," he clarified. "Are you still in any pain?"

"Oh…You mean that little thing with Moka?" She asked. When he nodded, she just shook her head and continued. "I'm a little sore, but other than that I'm okay."

She was kind of surprised to hear him ask such a question. At first glance he didn't seem like the kind of guy who concerned himself with someone else's health. In fact he didn't seem to care or worry about anything. But it was probably wrong for her to assume that without really getting to know the guy. He was probably one of those guys who did worry, but just didn't speak.

But still, if he had emotions than why when she looked at him did she sense nothing but emptiness? What made him so different from everyone else? But the most important question of all was…

Why did she even care?

Well whatever the reasons, she just wasn't going to concern herself with it anymore. She would continue investigating him and his cousin but nothing else. Using the spying skills that she was so proud of, she would gather the necessary Intel and then dust her hands of the situation like the good stalker she was. Whether they were, monsters, humans, or even aliens she didn't care. All she wanted to know of was there intentions.

"May I ask you a question?"

Confusedly she gazed back at him with apprehension. _What could he want to ask me?_ She thought. "Uhh…Sure go for it," she said.

Staring at her with those emotionless green eyes, his question came out in a whisper, "What is your purpose?"

Incredulously she gawked. _Did I just hear him right?_ "You want to know my purpose?"

He nodded, "Yes…What is your purpose in life? What is your reason for living?"

Now she was at a complete loss for words. She was expecting him to ask her something a little more predictable. Like what's your sign? What's your favorite color? Or even are you free this Saturday? But coming from a guy like him that last one would just be wishful thinking.

But her purpose…That isn't something she never really thought about. If she had to answer right away she would say it was Tsukune. That was her goal after all. Make him fall in love with her. Marry him and pop out a few babies. Simple as that…

Yeah it was simple, a little too simple. Besides that she didn't have any other goals. She had thought about becoming a spy, but that was her mom's dream. Even so, she figured it was worth a shot since she was so damn good at being undetected. However wanting a career wasn't the only way to have a purpose? _Man this is just too difficult._

Aggravated she grunted, "I… I don't know…"

"You don't know?"

She shrugged, "Maybe I just don't have one."

Sighing Gaara closed his eyes and relaxed his body. "No that's impossible. Everyone has a purpose, maybe you just haven't found yours. Or maybe you've found it... but it hasn't been realized. "

Mizore's lips curled up in a smirk. "If what you say is true than what is your purpose in life?"

"Hnn…You want to know my purpose?"

The stoic boy didn't respond immediately which made her think that he was also stumped. Strangely enough it kind of made her feel a little better about herself. Maybe she wasn't the only person out there who was still hopelessly searching for answers. Maybe he was just as lost she was or even worse. But those thoughts were killed as soon as he replied.

"I could tell you mine, but I would like to hear yours first?"

He wanted her to wait. For some reason his answer had kind of pissed her off. "What the hell. What kind of game are you playing?"

Perplexed, Gaara gaze intensified. "I don't play games…"

"You asked me a random question that has me wondering about my life and the direction its heading. I asked you the same question and I get nothing." She said with a clenched jaw. Who the hell was he to be even asking her such a question anyway? She hadn't even known the guy for a full day. "Why would you ask such a strange question and why do you even want to know?"

Gaara watched the snow woman with slight amusement. This was the first time he had seen an expression on her face that didn't resemble indifference. Even when he watched her fighting earlier, she still looked so relaxed and in control. Though she hadn't raised her voice it was obvious to him that she was irritated. The way her cold eyes focused on him without wavering for even a second, told him everything he needed to know about her current mood. He also noticed that her right hand was balled into a fist.

Without budging an inch, he calmly exhaled. "Throughout the day I've watched the students of this school interact with one another," he said. His sudden reply caused her to visibly relax. Slowly she eased back in her chair so she could listen to his explanation. "I noticed that the majority of them are very shallow and egotistical."

Mizore couldn't help but let a small smile grace her velvet lips_. _Thinking about all the people that she had come across since she enrolled last year she couldn't help but agree. "That's seems about right, but what does that have to do with me?"

"You and your friends are different," he started. For once Gaara didn't have a suitable reply. He knew what he wanted to say, he just wasn't sure how to put it into words. He was still a new at socializing and dealing with emotions. This was all foreign territory. After several seconds he was able to regain his barring's. "It's obvious that you girls care more about the simple things in life, but it makes me wonder is it really enough?"

"Enough? What are you talking about?"

Gaara gave her a sideways glance, "That's for you to find out." Sighing he unfolded his arms and turned to face her. "I'll tell you what…Why don't I make you a wager?"

After hearing those words her eyes ears twitched in interest. "Alright…I'm listening," she replied.

"I'll give you the time required to find your answer to my question. Once you do find your answer, not only will I tell you my purpose but I'll also tell you the story behind this marking," he stated while pointing to the Kanji beneath his red auburn locks. He knew he wasn't supposed to make such a deal, but he couldn't help it, his interest had gotten the best of him. _Well now I can't scold Naruto about being careless._

As soon as he finished his sentence her jaw dropped in shock. "Are you serious?" she nearly gasped. There was no way it could be that easy. _Why would he make such a risky deal? Does he think I'm too stupid to come up with an answer?_

With a bored look he simply replied, "Like I said before I don't play games." Slowly he extended his slender arm with an open hand. "Do we have a deal Mizore Shirayuki?

With a confident look in her eyes she nodded before grabbing onto his hand. When their hands made contact she couldn't help but feel a nervous tingle run down her spine. _His hands are surprisingly warm._ Since he had such a statue like personality she was guessing that he would be almost as cold as she was. "Yes, it's a deal."

He wasn't shocked at the feel of her ice cold hands since he was already aware of her monster identity. One thing that he was surprised about was the texture. _Her palms…They're soft._ Considering the fact that she was a snow woman he thought they would be a little rougher. But then again it's not rare to come across a female with rough hands even in the shinobi world.

"I expect an honest answer," he remarked.

Mizore smile grew even wider to the point that she was smirking. "Don't worry you'll get one."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Hopping over the fence Tsukune proceeded to walk towards the freshly damaged bleachers. Observing the sight as he approached, he noticed the walking ramp had been severely ruptured. As he continued up the steep incline he noticed that there were dents and holes on the floor which he was sure to avoid. Some of the railing had appeared to be ripped off.

When he got to the top the first thing he noticed was that the top four rows on the right hand side of the stand had been completely destroyed. _Damn, Kurumu and Mizore sure did a number on this thing. _Out of the corner of his eye he had caught sight of what he was originally looking for.

Sitting alone in the middle of the bleachers was Naruto. His cheek rested in the palm of his hand. From where the hybrid vampire was standing, the blonde seemed to be depressed, but why?

After taking a deep breath, he decided to walk on over to see why he was so down. As he began to climb up the third column of the bleachers he was able to see his face more clearly. His eyes were droopy and his mouth was in a thin line. Yeah he was definitely upset about something.

"Hey Naruto," he called out.

Lifting his gaze off the ground his eyes landed on Tsukune who was standing right beside him. "Oh hey…What's up?" he asked with a forced smile. He was obviously trying to hide his sadness.

"Nothing much, just got done running a few laps around the blacktop," he replied while wiping some sweat off his face with the bottom of his gym shirt. Sitting down next to him he asked, "So why are you by yourself on the bleachers? You know this place off limits until the repairs are finished."

Naruto just gave him a wave that said 'whatever.' "Who cares it's not like anyone's going to find me over here." Suddenly his eyes widened in surprise. Looking at the brunette incredulously he asked, "Just how the hell did you find me?" Naruto was sure he snuck over there undetected.

Tsukune smiled before shrugging casually, "Well I followed your scent."

Naruto stared at him questionably. Is he serious? Did he really catch a whiff of my scent? It wasn't impossible since this was a monster academy, so he guessed that was probably a common ability among monsters. But still…That jerk that he had fought earlier couldn't sniff him out. He was completely dependent on his sight.

_Hmm…What kind of monster are you Tsukune?_

"Wow that's impressive they're only two people I know back home who have super noses," he said. Of course he was referring to Kiba along with his mother and sister, which was a given since sense of smell was a common trait among the Inuzuka clan. The only other person besides them was his sensei Kakashi. He couldn't understand why he had such a knack for it, but then again there were a lot of things that he didn't understand about his mysterious sensei.

"Ha-ha thanks I've only been able to do this for a short while, but as time passes my nose becomes more sensitive."

Understanding his explanation, Naruto nodded, "Well whatever the case, that nose of yours is going to come in handy one day."

Nodding Tsukune decided to return the conversation back to the original topic. "You know you never answered my question."

"What?" Naruto forgetfully responded.

"Why are you up here by yourself?"

"Oh…" Naruto said while looking staring at the field longingly. "I'm bored…"

Surprised Tsukune leaned in closer to be sure he had heard him correctly. "You…Were bored?" _That's why he had that depressed look on his face?_

Sighing, the blonde continued, "Yeah…There's nothing to do. I was hoping gym would be more fun but so far it's been nothing but a damn snooze fest."

Incredulously the hybrid Yokai gawked. "Are you serious? Today's a free day you could do whatever you want. You could play basketball, football, dodge ball, hell you could even walk around on the black top like some of the heavier guys if you're the lazy type." Tsukune chuckled.

"As long as you're doing some kind of activity, that bas- I mean Kotsubo sensei won't care."

Catching Tsukune's slip up, Naruto perked up, "Were you…Just about to call Kotsubo sensei a bastard?"

Frantically the modified vampire began to chuckle while nervously scratching his scalp. "Huh? Bastard? What are you talking about!? Now why would I say something like that!? Ha-ha I think you've been out in the sun to long Naruto!"

Sly shaking his head Naruto continued, "Don't try to lie…You were about to call him a bastard weren't you!?"

"Ha-ha I have no idea what you're talking about?" He replied.

Smirking he narrowed his eyes, "You can't fool me Tsukune, I'm not the smartest guy around but I do have my moments."

Defeated Tsukune hung his head. He really didn't want to have this conversation with Naruto. First off he hadn't known Naruto long enough to even tell him about Kotsubo. Secondly he didn't really feel comfortable talking about something so confidential.

In this situation there was only one thing he could do…

_Lie._

"Alright I give up…You caught me."

Satisfied, the blonde continued his questioning. "So tell me, why don't you like Kotsubo sensei?"

The brunette sighed before placing the palm of his hand on his forehead. "Well you see…Kotsubo sensei isn't exactly as nice as he seems."

Naruto's brow quirked, "What do you mean?"

"Well last year…"

Intrigued, the blonde impatiently asked, "Last year? What happened last year?"

Still thinking of a believable lie, Tsukune's eyes began to wonder around looking for inspiration. When he saw a kid take a hit to the face from a rubber dodge ball he decided he had found just what he was looking for. "Abuse…"

"Abuse?" Naruto repeated…

"Yes," he replied calmly. "Last year he had gotten fired for physically and verbally abusing the students."

The visual anger was clear on Naruto's face, "Are you saying he hit them?"

Seeing the anger in Naruto's eyes he decided to change the story a little bit. "No…He just pushed them to hard. Especially the guys, he made us do physical activities on scorching hot days. Not to mention all the push-ups and sit-ups we had to do and don't even get me started on all the miles we had to run a day, I'm telling you it was intense. All the while he'd mock all the guys calling us weaklings, dumbass, and trash."

"Hmm…" was Naruto's only reply as he stood up and walked to the edge of the bleachers. Observing all the boys on the black top, he noticed something interesting. Scratching his whiskered cheek he had an unconvinced look on his face. "Are you sure?"

Nervously he sweat dropped, "Huh? What is it that's making you so skeptical?"

"Well for starters there are only eight kids in our class that have any muscle tone and that's including us. The rest of them are either chubby or really scrawny…"

Shocked at his insightfulness, the brunette gasped. As much as he liked Naruto he had to admit, he did come off as a bit of a simpleton. Nonetheless he needed to continue with this fib, he would tell Naruto the truth about Kotsubo once he had got to know him a little better. The headmaster wanted to keep most of the events of last year under wraps, so he had to be careful who he shared that information with. "Yeah, well a lot of them had stopped working out once he was fired a lot of them decided to go back to their old lazy ways…"

"Well if he was such a jerk then why did the headmaster decide to rehire him?"

_At last an easy question to answer, _he figured since he didn't have to lie this time around. "Oh that's simple, the varsity soccer players petitioned him to be given a second chance."

"Really? It was that simple?"

"Yes…But as a catch, they have decided to keep a close eye on him to be cautious. Take a look over my shoulder…" He said with a nudge of his head.

Naruto obliged and when he did he noticed someone standing on the rooftop. It was a man of average height dressed clad in black. You couldn't see the majority of his face since it was hidden behind the high collar of his jacket, not to mention his shades.

"And over there…"

Behind the fence of the volleyball courts was a hoard of trees. Partially hidden in the trees, there was a man wearing the same outfit as the previous one. The only difference being was this one was a lot taller.

"Oh I see…"

_So those were the two chakra signatures I had been sensing…_

"Anyways…" Tsukune said before letting out a brief yawn. "Those watch dogs are only temporary since the school is short on funds at the moment. So after about a month we probably won't be seeing them anytime soon. When that happens I have no idea what the headmaster is going to do as far as security is concerned."

Naruto stared at him questionably, "Tsukune?"

"Yes?" He replied.

"How the hell do you know all of this stuff anyways?"

"Oh that…One of my friends happens to be the headmaster's assistant."

Intrigued the knuckled head rubbed the underside of his chin in question. "His assistant is a girl right?"

"Yes…"

"Oh…I think I met her last week while I was still in the hospital. I forgot her name, but I know it starts with an R…I want to say Rachel…Or was it Renee?"

Tsukune chuckled, "It's Ruby."

Naruto snapped his fingers, "Yeah that's her name! She's cute…Don't tell me she's also one of those girls who are fighting over you."

"Ha-ha well…"

"Damn! What the hell is your secret Tsukune? At first glance you seem like an average Joe, but you're a real player aren't ya?" Naruto grinned slyly while giving him a slight nudge.

Flustered Tsukune shook his head, "No…It's not like that there just my friends."

"Ha-ha…Well it doesn't seem that way to me! But tell me…What did you do to get those girls so into you?"

The brunette shrugged, "To be honest with you I have no idea why they like me so much. I'm just being me."

"Just being you huh?" Naruto questioned. He had to admit seeing all these beautiful girls fight over Tsukune wasn't surprising. It's not like he hadn't seen that before, Sasuke had almost every single girl in the village chasing him. Since he was an Uchiha, not to mention a good looking one, Sasuke had to fend girls off on a regular basis.

But this was different. These girls didn't like him because of his looks or popularity. They seemed to genuinely care about him because of the kind of person he was, which was strange because nowadays most girls are superficial.

Naruto on the other hand had barely started to become popular amongst the young women of Konoha. Ever since he defeated pain and saved the village, girls had finally started to see him as man instead of the container of a tailed beast. In truth, his situation isn't all that different from Sasuke's. Until he graduated from the academy, there was only one girl who had always seen him as a human being. She is also the same girl that confessed her love to him only three weeks ago.

_Hinata…_

He hadn't had time to talk to her about it, but that didn't mean he had forgotten. If he wasn't so busy with his training and chasing Sasuke, he would have already talked to her.

_But what would I say? Hinata and I rarely speak to each other and even then she always ends up turning red and fainting._

Aside from that, there were also his feelings to consider. He never really thought of Hinata as a woman, but then again Sakura was the only girl he really thought about as far as love goes. Maybe it was time for him to open up his mind a little bit.

"Naruto…" The blonde turned to see Tsukune staring. "Is everything alright?"

"Y-Yeah sorry about that, I guess I zoned out for a minute there."

Tsukune nodded, and started wiping remaining sweat off his face.

Tired of sitting, Naruto stood up and stretched. "Well it's time!"

Still sitting Tsukune watched him in wonder, "Time for what?"

"It's time for us to find something to do. We still got about twenty minutes before we got to go back to the lockers and change."

"Well…Alright," The brunette stood up and followed the blonde who was heading toward the back entrance of the bleachers.

While they made their way down the stairs, Naruto spoke up, "But before that, do you mind answering one more question Tsukune?" When the hybrid nodded, he continued. "Are you really telling me everything I need to know about Kotsubo sensei?"

Hesitantly he replied, "Y-Yes…Why do you ask?'

Suddenly Naruto stopped which caused Tsukune to follow. He had a concentrated look, as he was deep in thought.

"Earlier… In the cafeteria I couldn't help but notice the way Gaara was acting around him. He looked like he was irritated just from standing so close to him."

Shocked the hybrid's eye's widened, "Really?" _I wonder if he knows the truth! No there's no way he could have figured out something like that so quickly. Yes he would have to do a lot of research to find the truth, _Tsukune reassured himself. "I wonder why?"

"It's strange huh; it's been a while since I had seen Gaara show that emotion. Every now and then he cracks a small smile but other than that he usually looks emotionless."

"Oh…Well maybe he was sick from eating the cafeteria food, Ha-ha Yeah that's probably what it was." Tsukune really wanted to change the subject, but Naruto seemed determined to find out what was going on.

"No, that's not it," the blonde responded.

"What, how can you be sure?"

"Gaara didn't look sick…He looked…Disgusted."

Tsukune couldn't help but raise a brow in question, "Disgusted?"

"Yeah…Like he had seen something that pissed him off…"

_There's no way he could know about Kotsubo?_ _It's impossible they've only been here for a day. Unless… unless someone told Gaara about him. But who? The only people who know about Kotsubo are members of the newspaper club and Ririko Sensei. There's no way Gin or the girls talked and I doubt Ririko sensei said anything. Then who else? Who else could it be?_

"Well whatever," Naruto continued. "I'll just ask him about it later. Anyways let's go play soccer with those guys over there!" The blonde started pacing anxiously toward the field.

For a while Tsukune just stood there watching him get further and further away until he snapped out of his daze. "Hold on wait up!" He yelled as he ran after him.

**End of School Day**

"Freedom at last!" Kurumu shouted while walking out of the main building. It had been a long day filled with far too much drama. Between multiple fights and complicated math problems, she had seen her share of action for the day. Now it was time for the busty succubus to relax and enjoy her day.

Behind her was a quieter Moka, "I think you're over exaggerating Kurumu, today was pretty good day." The pinkette beauty calmly walked down the school steps. Unlike her friend she seemed to be content with the day's events.

"That's easy for you to say…You didn't get your ass kicked by a vampire!"

Moka deflated, "Sorry I didn't think she would go that far!" The last time she had awakened was months ago. She had forgotten how her inner self could get carried away sometimes.

Kurumu flicked her wrist carefully as if to say "Whatever." Smirking she folded her arms underneath her breasts. "Well at least I'm not the only one; I bet that snow skank is feeling pretty sore right about now."

Her smile faded when she felt a cold hand on her shoulder. "I see you're running off at the mouth as usual Kurumu…"

Feeling the cold condensation on the nape of her neck, she jerked back. "What the hell's your problem? You really need to stop sneaking up on people you damn stalker!"

Mizore didn't reply her face just remained impassive. Messing with Kurumu never got old, so the chances of her stopping were slim. Still all joking aside she couldn't get her mind off what had happened earlier. That whole deal she had made with the red head had got her thinking. _Should I tell them about it?_ She wondered. _Or should I keep it to myself?_

She didn't know how they would react. Especially Kurumu she always blew things out of proportion.

Yeah it was probably be best if she kept that to herself for now.

"So where is my husband?" The snow woman asked.

Confused, Moka asked, "Husband?"

Mizore nodded, "Yes, where is Tsukune?"

Irritated Kurumu clenched her teeth, "For the last time…You're not marrying Tsukune you frozen freak! He's mine!"

Remaining cool, the purple haired girl replied, "You can keep telling yourself that but it's going to happen and if you keep that bad attitude I won't let you be a bridesmaid."

Kurumu gawked at this, "Bridesmaid!? Like hell I would never be a bridesmaid at your wedding!"

Laughing playfully Moka got in between the two girls to separate them. "Alright let's all just calm down," she said in a low tone. The last thing she wanted was a repeat of what had happened at lunch. If they could go the rest of the week without any fighting it would be a miracle.

"Whatever," Kurumu huffed. She was too tired to argue with Mizore anyways. "So what's the plan for today?"

While she hummed and tapped her foot against the concrete, Moka tried to think of something to do. _We could go back to homeroom and work on the paper or we could go to the human world to go see a movie._ Other than that there wasn't really much for them to do except go back to their dorms and study.

Stumped the vampire said, "I don't know, how about a movie?"

"Don't care…" was Mizore's immediate response.

"Yeah… a movie sounds nice," Kurumu said. She really didn't care what they did as long as she didn't have to back to her dorm and do homework.

Smiling, Moka tilted her head and crossed her legs. "Great now all we need to do is wait for Tsukune and Yukari."

Kurumu sighed, "That's just great I forgot about Yukari."

"Why don't you want Yukari to come?" Mizore asked

"It's not that I don't want her to go, it's just she still underage so we can't watch any R rated movies."

The vampire frowned, "That's true, but we're also underage Kurumu."

Placing her hand on her hip, the succubus smiled, "Yeah but we look grown don't we?"

Mizore nodded, "Can't argue with her there."

Slightly annoyed by this conversation, Moka's eyes narrowed. "That doesn't matter; we're not going without Yukari!"

Defensively Kurumu raised her hands, "Okay relax…I was just making an observation."

Squinting a few times Mizore noticed a small figure coming towards them. As the person got closer, she was able to make out its gender. It was a girl that much was clear and she was wearing a pointy hat. The small girl also had something in her hand. _Is that a wand?_ Mizore wondered. As she got closer she was able to confirm that it was a wand.

Yeah that's her, she whispered to herself. "Let's drop it she's coming." The last thing she wanted right now was to hear Kurumu and Yukari argue about their age and bodies.

Mizore's warning caused the girls to jump a little, but they quickly regained their composure. Casually they began to make small talk as Yukari arrived.

"Hey guys!" Yukari chirped as she walked up to the group, as usual she was in high spirits.

Smiling Moka said, "Hey…Yukari how are you?"

The preteen shrugged, "I'm okay I guess… Just a little tired is all. So what's going on?"

"Not much," Moka answered. "We're going to the human world to go to the movies? Do you want to come?"

Uncertain, Yukari didn't respond immediately. As much as she would like to go, she had a lot of work to do. Since she's has honor roll classes she needed to study and finish homework. Though she is the smartest student on campus, she still needed a decent amount of time to finish these assignments. Then there were also her general Ed classes, but she wasn't worried about those.

Yes there was a lot for her to do, but there was no way in hell she was going to leave the other girls with Tsukune. _To hell with it, I'll just finish it all tonight! _"Sure I'll go, but I can't stay out too late."

After hearing that Kurumu had to do her best to prevent herself from laughing. However, her snickering caught the little witch's attention.

Glaring she asked, "What so damn funny?"

Getting a hold of herself, Kurumu replied, "Nothing…It's just… I think it's so cute that you still follow your curfew." The last part she said in a cutesy voice.

"You…Bitch!" For the second time today Yukari lunged towards her to attack, but Mizore caught her by her collar before she could reach the succubus.

Kicking and screaming Yukari tried to break free but to no avail. "Let me go Mizore! I'm going to kick her ass!"

Mizore sighed as she held the thrashing girl, "Sorry but I can't do that."

Seeing them argue again really made Moka sad. Even though she was use to all the banter, she wished that the four of them could go one day without trying to kill each other. She knew that she wasn't innocent; there were plenty of times when she got into it with Kurumu and sometimes Mizore. But at least she was aware. The other three didn't seem to notice and if they did they obviously didn't care.

If the four of them could somehow figure out a way to get along things would be a lot easier, they'd have more success in their future endeavors. The newspaper would be more popular and people wouldn't look at them like they were crazy. Fed up with the fighting she did the first thing that came to her mind. She screamed.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Almost immediately everything came to an abrupt halt. Yukari stopped her kicking and screaming and Kurumu stopped her teasing. Even the students passing by stopped and stared at the pink haired girl.

Now the beautiful vampire was blushing in embarrassment. _Maybe I shouldn't have screamed so loud, now everybody's looking at me!_

"What's with all the commotion?" A voice asked from afar.

Moka turned to see Tsukune, Naruto, and Gaara approaching. She was kind of surprised to see them, but she was also delighted. With their arrival, people were starting to move on. For what reason she didn't know, maybe the other students were also skeptical about the newcomers. Whatever it was she was grateful. Seeing the face of her best friend also made her happy.

"Tsukune…"

"Moka…What's going on? Why were you screaming? Are you okay?"

Moka smiled and shook her head, "No everything's fine now…" She always felt good when he was around.

Not completely sold, he asked again "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"That's g-

Before Tsukune could finish his sentence Kurumu was already clinging to his arm. "Long time know see my love," she seductively said while pressing her large breast against his bicep. Her warm breath tickled the hairs on his neck as she continued to snuggle his lithe form. "What's wrong? You seem nervous."

Blushing, the hybrid began to fumble his words, "W-Well… Umm… I…Umm"

"Say Tsukune do you want to go to the movies with me?" leaning in she whispered in his ear, "But I promise we won't be focusing on the screen…"

Now his heart was beating even faster than before. Though he was use to her flirting, he'd never imagine she'd be crazy enough to do it at the movies.

"Hey! That was my idea!" Moka shouted.

Agreeing Yukari said, "Yeah you can't just go with him alone, we're all going together you cow!"

Unlike the other two Mizore was much more calm and relaxed. Not wasting time, her right hand took monster form. Pointing her icy claws at her rival she said, "I really don't give a shit about going to the movies, but if you don't back away from my future husband I'll have to amputate that arm."

As they continued to argue over Tsukune, Naruto and Gaara quietly watched on. The red head watched the spectacle with mild interest. Seeing them fight over something so petty confused the Kazekage. He didn't understand why they acted the way they did, but their strange behavior intrigued him nonetheless. _Are movies that good?_ He wondered. Unlike Naruto he had never been to a theatre so he couldn't understand what made them so special.

When he looked over at Mizore they locked eyes for a moment before she looked away. Going off her facial expression she didn't seem like she wished to talk to him, but that was fine with him, it was probably for the best anyways.

Gaara might have been baffled by their behavior, but Naruto kind of found the whole thing hilarious. Seeing a bunch of girls fight over one guy brought back old memories of his time at the academy. However these girls are a lot more violent than the girls who use to compete for Sasuke's affection. If he was still a child he might be a little jealous, but now it made him feel nostalgic.

However the young sage was starting to feel a little tired. Lately he hadn't been getting much sleep. His own thoughts were clouding his brain and preventing him from sleeping. All he could think about was his friends. He didn't know if any of them had died or been injured and that thought was killing him.

"Gaara…"

"Yes?" the red head replied.

"I'm a go checkout my dorm since I haven't had a chance, do you want to come along?"

"I suppose..."

Without another word the two quietly walked away from the group. They seemed busy at the moment so it seemed best not to bother them. Though the girls didn't notice their departure, Tsukune did.

"Where you guys going?" He shouted over the bantering females, which caused them to stop and listen.

Stopping Naruto turned replied, "Gaara and I haven't had a chance to checkout our dorm rooms so we're going to go now."

"Oh alright…But when you're done do you want to join us?"

"That sounds good but maybe next time… I think I'm going to get settled in."

Tsukune frowned, but turned to the other male. "What about you Gaara?"

"No thanks, I think I'll also take this time to rest…"

Tsukune was a little disappointed with their response but all the same he understood. This was their first day; it was probably best that they took it slow and relaxed. "Alright then, we'll see you guys in homeroom tomorrow!"

"Yeah see you then!"

Walking away Naruto waved as Gaara kept his eyes forward not even turning his head a little to bid his new friends farewell. He didn't feel comfortable enough around them yet. Even though they seemed like nice people they weren't going to gain his trust so easily. After sometime passes maybe then he'll be able to converse more. For now he could still watch and observe them from a distance.

They were very interesting people. Their friendship is so dysfunctional it makes you wonder how they can tolerate being in each other presence. With all the arguing and fighting it's surprising that no one has gotten hurt.

Then there was that girl and that deal he made with her. There was no doubt that he would keep it no matter how much he might regret it in the future. A deal was a deal after all and he was a man of his word.

Still the fact that he asked such a question was a little unsettling. He didn't know what compelled him to do such a thing. _Well whatever it was, I better not tell Naruto. Knowing him he'd probably do something similar._

"So…How did you like your first day of public school?" Naruto asked.

Gaara replied, "Hnn… It was fine...All the bickering was sort of annoying but amusing nonetheless."

Naruto smiled, "Yeah those girls really are strange, but I like them."

"Like?" Gaara repeated. "Do you wish to mate with one of them?

"Huh?" Naruto blushed. "M-Mate! Of course not!" He replied in a flustered tone. "Where the hell did you get that idea?"

"You said you liked them so I assumed…

"No that's not it I just think they're fun to be around!"

Gaara nodded, "You sure? Because I couldn't help but notice you staring at that succubus…"

"W-What? I- wasn't…I was…" He fumbled over his words as he tried to explain himself. His whiskered cheeks became tented revealing his embarrassment. "Just where is all of this coming from anyways?"

"I'm just taking an interest in your life since we are cousins after all," A small smile graced his lips when he finished his sentence.

Naruto chuckled while scratching the back of his neck, "Oh sorry about that. I guess I kind of got lost in the moment when I said that. You don't mind do you?"

"It's fine… We'll just have to continue acting like we're related for now."

"So what about you? Have you seen anything you like hmm…?" Naruto asked while pumping his brows.

Hearing his friend's playful remark, the Kazekage calmly exhaled. "Naruto…You must be joking. Do I seem like the kind of guy that you usually see in relationships?"

"Hey Hey! What's up with the negative attitude?" Naruto almost shouted. He hated when people didn't look on the bright side, especially those he considered friends. "I bet you could get a girlfriend if you tried. From what I've heard from Kankuro, almost every girl in the sand village is trying to get into your pants, so what's the problem?"

As they continued to chat they eventually reached the dorm building that was preserved for male students only.

"I don't really know…" He said while grabbing onto the handle of the door. "I guess I have just grown accustom to being alone."

Frowning the blonde grabbed his shoulder. "Alone huh?" Turning his head slightly, Gaara stared back at his fellow jinchuriki.

"Well you aren't alone anymore my friend." Naruto continued with a warm smile.

Gaara paused for a second in thought before a small smile began to form. _How could I forget? _He questioned to himself. "Hnn…You do have a point there." Pushing through the glass doors, they quietly entered the lobby of the male dorm rooms.

**To be continued…**

**I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter, because it's been a long time coming. I know this story has been moving at very slow pace, but the next chapter I'm going to give you guys a two week time skip and a little action so stay tuned for that. Again I would like to thank you all for your support and kind words. I love you guys and I hope you enjoy the holidays and have fun... Hahaha I know I will ;)**


	7. Chapter 7: Stiff Competition

Hey guys I know some of you are probably mad as hell that it took me this long to update, so I'd like to apologize to you all and I hope you can be patient with me. To be honest I don't really have an excuse other than laziness and a small case of writers' block, so I can't blame you for being pissed.

Anyways last month on February 1st marked a year since I published this fic on fanfiction. I'm proud of the story's success and I like to thank all of you for your continuous support. Seriously guys, without all of the kind words and votes of confidence I don't think would of gotten this far. Anyways it's all thanks to you!

I'm sure you already know this chapter's going to be long as hell… Just like all the previous ones. So I guess I shouldn't waste any more of your time. Onto the fic!

R&R my friends and haters!

**Chapter 7: Stiff Competition **

"Come on please let me go! I promise I'll be good!" Kokoa pleaded while holding onto Shizuka Nekonome's ankle. Her tight grip was starting to cut off the blood circulation in the woman's foot, but the vampire didn't care. At this point she was becoming desperate, so she was even willing to beg which was definitely out of character for her.

However this trip was special, it was a hunting expedition to train students how to fend for themselves. The assigned prey was the Dorian monsters. Dorian's are small fruit like monsters that tastes delicious when cooked properly. There was no way in hell she was going to be denied a chance to hunt and eat a Dorian fruit monster.

"I'm sorry Kokoa but first years aren't allowed on this trip, besides this particular field trip is only for my homeroom students," she explained.

Whining and thrashing on the floor like a child, she tightened the hold she had on her sensei. "But that's not fair, this trip sounds fun and I don't want to be left out!"

Sighing, the cat woman knelt down and picked the young girl up off the ground. Dusting off her skirt and blouse she began to speak. "Kokoa I don't want you to think you're being left out because you can't go this year. I know you probably want to go so you can spend some quality time with your big sister, but there is always next year! And hey you and Moka could even work together!" She finished while patting her head in comfort.

"Alright now Kokoa, I want you to head back to your homeroom and enjoy the rest of the day!"

Deflated and irritated, the vampire responded immaturely, "Fine then! I don't want to go on your dumbass trip anyways!" She yelled before storming out of the room. Slamming the door behind her she noticed the hallway full of students who were all looking at her. At the end of the hallway, she saw her pink haired sister chatting with her loser friends.

_There she is again,_ she thought with frustration, hanging out with that stupid Tsukune, _that slutty succubus, the frozen weirdo, and that bratty witch. _Looking further down she noticed the two new exchange students standing only a few feet away from them. They seemed liked they were having their own interesting conversation.

Grunting she began to pace down the hallway, when she passed her sisters group Moka tried to get her attention. "Hey Kokoa!" she shouted over the loud voices in the hallway. When the girl didn't stop she yelled her name again. "Kokoa!"

Annoyed the red head stopped in her tracks and turned around. With a menacing glare she said, "LEAVE ME ALONE." With that she turned around and continued to make her way down the hallway.

Moka frowned at her little sister's response, but didn't let it bother her too much. _I'll just give her some space and when she's ready we'll talk._

_One way or another I'm going on that trip! And no one's getting in my way! _

Watching her retreating back Kurumu sneered, "What's her problem? Is she ever in a good mood?"

"Doesn't seem like it," Yukari responded dryly.

"Well let's forget about Kokoa for now," Tsukune said. "Instead we should be focusing on this training field trip."

"Yahoo!" Kurumu happily cheered. "So Moka…" she started with a mischievous grin. "Is our bet still on? Remember if I catch a Dorian first than me and Tsukune get to eat it alone together in private."

Moka smiled, "If that's what you want Kurumu, but I would prefer it if we work together."

"Screw that noise! This is a contest and I'm in it to win," Kurumu retorted confidently. There was nothing that was going to keep her from proving that she was superior to Moka at something.

"Hey chill out Kurumu…" Mizore chimed in. "You're forgetting Yukari and I. We want in on this as well."

Yukari nodded, "Yeah that's right!"

The succubus chuckled, "Fine then…The more the merrier!" she exclaimed. "In the end it doesn't matter the end result will be the same."

Mizore snorted, "True, it doesn't matter at all because I will be victorious."

Before the succubus could give her rival comeback she was interrupted by someone.

"What's this I hear I about a contest?"

Turning around they saw an excited looking Naruto, who looked even more anxious than usual.

"There's a competition!?" he asked. "What's it about? I want to get in on this!"

You really couldn't blame him for being excited; it had been a while since he had seen any action. It had been a whole month since he had trained, been on a mission or even meditate. He and Gaara had been so preoccupied with school and searching for a way back home that they haven't had much time for anything lately.

Smirking and shaking her head, Kurumu replied, "Sorry Blondie, but you can't be a part of this bet."

"Why the hell not?" He questioned. "Is it because you still think I'm a perv?"

"No, but thanks for reminding me," She said before taking a few steps back. "The reason you can't join us is simple. This competition is strictly for us girls who are competing for a date with Tsukune. Unless you're interested in another male, you taking part in this would be pointless."

"Is that all?" he asked with a laugh. "I don't care about the prize; I just want to be challenged. But…" He started while placing his hand on Tsukune's shoulder. "But if Tsukune wants to buy me some ramen than I won't complain."

"Uhh…Naruto…" Tsukune sweat dropped as he started to feel uncomfortable.

"Forget it perv! No boys!" she screamed.

Contributing her take on the subject, Yukari said, "I don't mind. If anything it will make things more interesting."

"Exactly!" Naruto grinned while wrapping an arm around Yukari's neck playfully, "See Yukari's cool…unlike a certain someone!"

Yukari giggled while welcoming the embrace, "Thanks Naruto."

Huffing, the succubus turned away from then. "Asshole," she murmured.

"I agree with Yukari," Moka commented with her usual charm. "Mizore?"

"Don't care."

"Wow I didn't see that one coming," Naruto responded sarcastically.

_Why does everything have to be a competition? _Tsukune pondered. All he wanted to do was have a nice outing with his friends without any problems for once, but he can already tell that wasn't going to happen.

"What about you?" Mizore asked, which surprised the rest of the group since she didn't really show an interest in other people besides Tsukune. "Gaara?"

Standing a few feet away from the others was the red head. Quietly he had leaned against the wall with his gourd. Quietly he listened to the others make a spectacle in front of all the other students. Looking up to address the snow woman, the red head opened his eyes.

Usually something like this wouldn't intrigue him, but like Naruto it had been a while since he had been in battle. The last thing that he wanted was to become rusty. "I'm not interested in a date with Tsukune…But this training exercise might prove to be useful in the future."

Naruto smirked, "Oh now things are really getting interesting!" _With Gaara involved, I know I'll have a challenge. _

"Great. Everyone's in on the game, yippee…" Kurumu remarked with a hint of sarcasm. Exhaling she rubbed her forehead. _I think I feel a headache coming on._ "With that in mind I think we should change the rules a bit."

"What do you have in mind?" Mizore asked curiously.

"Instead of who catches the first dorian wins…How about who catches the most dorians?" She inquired with a smile.

Naruto's eyes suddenly came alive at the proposal, "Hell yeah that's even better!"

Walking out of her classroom and locking the door behind her, Ms. Nekonome was all set to go. "Okay kids are you guys excited!?" She asked enthusiastically. Of course she got a very loud response from her students which was expected. How could a monster not be excited about hunting? It was in their nature.

"Alright then, let's go!" She said before pushing through the back doors. In a single file line her students followed her toward entrance gate.

Walking next to Gaara, Naruto started a conversation with his friend, "So…Are you happy they gave you your gourd back?"

The Kazekage nodded, "Of course." Out of the corner of his eye he could see the frown on the blonde's face. "Are you still upset that they returned your weapons pouch empty?"

"You bet your ass I'm upset," he roared. "Why the hell do you get your gourd back? While they confiscate my ninja tools," he whispered the last few words cautiously.

"Isn't it obvious?" Gaara asked without emotion.

"No."

The red wanted to sigh, but decided not to. "They let me keep my gourd because they don't think there's anything dangerous about it, but your shuriken and kunai are a different story."

Naruto understood but he was still annoyed, "Whatever…"

**Arrival at the Forest**

When they got to the middle of the yokai forest, Ms. Nekonome decided to set up camp. Getting her students attention the cat woman clapped her hands together. "Okay! Time to get started!" Reaching into her bag she pulled out a book. On the cover of the book was the word Yokai. Flipping through the pages she stopped when she found what she was looking for.

"For those of you who don't know… This is what a dorian fruit monster looks like!" she said with her finger pointing at the image. The picture was of a round spikey shaped creature with tongues sticking out from every angle. At the very sight of the hideous creature Naruto's stomach had begun to become queasy.

"What the fuck is that!?"

His sudden outburst caused the rest of the class to turn and stare. Embarrassed, he quickly covered his mouth. _Damn it! I'm such an idiot! _He cursed himself for reacting so immaturely, but he couldn't help it, that thing was fucking ugly.

Irritated by the interruption, Ms. Nekonome spoke up. "Naruto can you please keep quiet, I would like to finish giving out the instructions. And watch your language." Her stern voice practically made the blonde yelp.

"Sorry sensei, it won't happen again." Nodding she resumed reading the instructions and the students turned back around to give her their full and undivided attention.

"Nice one perv," Kurumu murmured while nudging the boy in the ribs. "Are you trying to make us stand out!?"

Hearing the succubus's crude comments, he went on the defensive, "Oh I'm sorry… I just thought that was the way a guy was supposed to react when he saw the most disgusting thing he had ever laid eyes on!"

"That's just an excuse; you don't have any restraint do you blondie?"

"Says the girl who dry humps Tsukune every five seconds! And I'm supposed to be the perv?" The blonde finished with a snort.

Having enough of their bickering, Yukari kicked them both in their shins causing them both to hobble and groan. "Would you guys stop I'm trying to listen!" Grunting the two apologized and returning their focus to their sensei, but not before exchanging glares.

Once they had finally shut up, the witch resumed listening as she gazed at the picture. The little witch's mouth began to water as she stared at the picture of her prey.

She wasn't alone either, Moka, Mizore, and Kurumu were all salivating at the mouth.

The blonde just couldn't get what looked so appealing about that thing. It was a round prickly ball with a disgusting tongue. He'd rather eat the elder toads cooking again than put any part of that thing in his mouth. Shaking his head he shifted his attention to Gaara.

"Just what the hell is wrong with them?"

"I haven't a clue," Gaara replied. "But I'd rather die a horrible death than eat that thing."

Naruto chuckled, "I couldn't agree more! And I don't think we're the only ones." Simultaneously both jinchuriki's eyes wondered over toward Tsukune. The hybrid was hunched over, desperately trying to prevent himself from regurgitating his breakfast. _Damn his stomach's even weaker than mine. _

Concerned, Gaara placed his hand on his back. "Are you alright Tsukune?"

Finally getting a hold of his self, he stood up straight and cleared his throat. "Yeah I'm fine, I just wasn't expecting that thing to be so…"

"Ugly?" Naruto inquired with a smirk.

"Yeah…"

Regardless of how the males felt about the assignment, it was too late to turn back. If they had known they would be hunting such an atrocity they would have stayed at the academy. Now that they were there the only thing they could do was suck it up and try and get it over with so they could get back to school.

To humans like them, the creature looked ugly but not to a Yokai.

Being able to hunt was crucial thing for a monster. Hunting taught independence and among other things it taught you how to defend yourself. You never know what kind of wild life you can encounter while out in the wilderness.

After finishing reading the last line on her rule book, Ms. Nekonome closed it and let out an exasperated sigh. "Ok class I think I covered just about everything! With that being said get into groups of four…"

"Groups of four?" Moka repeated with a frown. "There are seven of us. What are we going to do?" She was hoping that the seven of them could work together.

"I guess we have no choice but to split up." Kurumu inferred while crossing her arms beneath her breasts.

Concurring Mizore nodded her head, "The only thing left now is to decide what the groups or going to be. Since there's seven of us, one of the groups will be short one member." Now that was the dilemma. How were they going to pair the groups? They would have to choose wisely because they were many different personalities among them.

"I have an idea!" Yukari announced randomly. "The first group could be, Tsukune, Moka and me!"

"Hell no!" Kurumu smacked the witch upside the head.

"This is taking forever," Deciding to make things simple Naruto stepped forward. The way things were going, they were going to be there all day if he didn't say anything. "Gaara and I make two… We need one person to join us. Who's it going to be?"

Immediately Tsukune stepped forward, "I'll go with you guys." He started to walk towards them when he felt several hands holding him back. He turned to see Kurumu, Mizore, Yukari and even Moka.

"No you don't!" Kurumu shouted.

"Why?" he asked confusedly. His body tensed up when he felt their hold on him become tighter.

"Because every time we want to be with you, you end up ditching us to hang out with them!" she yelled while pointing an accusing finger at the cousins.

"No I don't…" He denied.

The succubus's eyes narrowed, "Oh yeah? Then how about yesterday when we were all supposed to have a study group, where were you?"

Oh how we wished he was somewhere else so he wouldn't have to deal with this. "I was playing basketball in the gym with Naruto…"

"Exactly!" she exclaimed.

This time Mizore spoke up, "And how about last Friday when we all went to the football game. During half time where were you?"

Tsukune sighed. There was no way in hell he was going to win this argument. "With Naruto watching the cheerleaders…"

Kurumu smirked, "I could give you more examples if you don't think this is enough…"

Immediately the hybrid shook his head, "No I get what you're saying! You don't have to say anymore." Damn he didn't know that they were keeping tabs on him like that. He knew first hand from spending time with his cousin that women were crazy, but this was just too much. When the girls finally let go of him he sighed, "Well one of us have to go. Who's it going to be?"

The girls exchanged glances to see if anyone of them were willing to go. It was a tough choice considering the fact that all the girls wanted to be with Tsukune.

Though this was the perfect opportunity for them to learn some new things about their new friends, the girls thought it was more important to focus on the competition. There would be plenty of chances to gather Intel, but a date with their precious Tsukune was much more important.

Even Moka wouldn't budge and she was one of the only ones who were actually reasonable. Usually she didn't like to partake in contest such as this, but she was willing to make an exception. This time she wasn't going to be the nice girl who played peacemaker while the others took the offensive.

Kurumu was the most focused of all. Her eyes were filled with intensity and her heart was beating at alarming speed. The blood that was flowing through her body was practically surging. She couldn't contain her excitement if she tried.

It's been a long time coming; she was finally going to have her date with Tsukune. All she had to do was catch the delicious mouthwatering dorian. If she really thought about it she was pretty lucky, she was going to have private time with her love and she would get to devour a tasty fruit monster.

Following Naruto and Gaara around would have to wait. When she and the blonde made eye contact her face turned into a glare_. Stupid perv! _

Unlike Moka and Kurumu, Yukari was a little bit nervous. She had never hunted anything before and she didn't want to look like a child in front of her crush. Catching the Dorian sounded fun, but she knew it had to be difficult. However she wasn't the smartest student for nothing, she had tackled many difficult tasks and this would be the same.

However there was something that had been bothering her since they arrived. The Dorian monster…She was sure she had heard about the creature somewhere…But where? It was a long time ago she was having a hard time remembering what it was. _Oh well, _she shrugged. If she couldn't remember it couldn't have been that serious.

Out of all them Mizore had been the most quiet. There wasn't much for her to say or think about. She was going to catch and kill her prey and then she would get what she wanted. Just like Kurumu she was well aware of the current opportunity. If she went with them she might be able to learn their abilities among other things.

_Gaara,_ ever since this morning she had one thing on her mind. _What is he keeping inside that gourd?_ This is the first time that he had brought it to school in the two weeks that he had been attending Yokai. Whatever he was keeping in there was a mystery to her, but she was certain that it was the key to his powers.

Being near Tsukune was something she always looked forward to, but the snow woman was becoming hesitant. Staying near him was nice, but they were taking way too long to get started and she was becoming impatient. She was about to volunteer when her sensei arrived just in time to interrupt her. "I'll go-

Strolling up to their group was a joyful Shizuka Nekonome. "What's the hold up here?" She asked clamping her hands together.

"Oh Nekonome sensei," Moka said. She should have expected her to come when everyone else had already started left to get started. "We were just trying to figure out how to split up are group. There are seven of us so one of the groups will have to be short one member."

"Oh is that all?" she asked nonchalantly. She had only been there ten seconds and she had already found the solution. "That's simple, just pair the boys ups!" she said with a care free wave. "Problem solved!"

Disagreeing with her sensei, Kurumu spoke up. "No sensei you don't understand. We don't want Tsukune to go with them."

"Why not?"

"He can't because he has been ditching us for the past two weeks to hang out with these guys!" She practically shouted but quickly covered her mouth once she realized she raised her voice.

"Really?"

Concurring, Yukari nodded with a frown, "Yes sensei we hardly ever see Tsukune anymore, he's always with Naruto and Gaara…"

Yukari's frown must have been contagious because the older woman was also wearing an upside down smile. "Is this true Tsukune?" she asked.

Exhaling in defeat the hybrid nodded. "Yes I'm sorry." If he really thought about it, he had been neglecting his friends. Not having male friends for a while had really had its affect. He was so caught up with having fun with Naruto and Gaara that he didn't realize he was forgetting the people that mattered most.

Shizuka smiled, "it's okay, but you have to be more sensitive to a woman's feelings Tsukune and in your case it's not easy. You have four girls to deal with…five if you add Ruby. You're going to have to figure out a way to be attentive to all your friends."

Nervously the brunette smiled, "Yes sensei."

"Good," she said before turning to face her two new students. "So the cousins are sticking together? I like that… It's been a while since I've had two relatives in the same class let alone the same group during an assignment."

Smiling she turned back around. "Alright! I've decided!" she announced with excitement. With her mind made up she began to pace towards the four girls. Each of their hearts were pounding rapidly against their chest. The decision wasn't one of great importance, but not knowing made them nervous.

When she reached the girls she stopped. Smiling she walked back in forth like a drill sergeant. After a few seconds she stopped.

"I choose you…" She said with a devilish smirk.

"Kurumu!"

The random declaration had the succubus's jaw on the ground. "What!" She screamed. She couldn't believe it… She was the one who was chosen. She was almost positive that Moka would be the selection. Stomping on the ground, the busty girl demanded an explanation, "Why me!?"

Smiling, Shizuka lifted her glasses up so they would sit more comfortably on her nose. "I picked you because you have the lowest grades and you've been tardy on several different occasions."

"But that's not fair!"

"Sorry Kurumu…Maybe next time you'll take your studies more seriously."

Too stubborn to give up, Kurumu pointed a finger at the snow woman, "What about Mizore? Her attendance record is even worse than mine!" She knew that for a fact. Mizore always ditches to stalk Tsukune.

Folding her arms beneath her breast Shizuka hummed while shaking a finger causing the young girl to halt, "That may be so…But Mizore's current grade is still higher than yours."

Realizing that arguing was futile, the busty girl grunted. "Fine…" She muttered. _Might as well make the best of it_ she thought. Before she could walk over to her group Mizore took hold of her.

"What is it now?" Kurumu asked irritated.

"Don't be discouraged, this is the perfect opportunity," The snow woman whispered.

Kurumu rolled her eyes, "I know that! But that doesn't mean I want to be alone with those two! What if they try and take advantage of me?"

Mizore stared at her incredulously, "Are you serious? Are you that full of yourself?"

"What? You've seen blondie…He's a perv!"

Annoyed with the topic, Mizore rubbed her forehead, "You're never going to let that go are you? Anyways…All I'm saying is… you should take advantage of this instead of sulking like a child."

Getting advice from Mizore is one of the last things she wanted. Hearing enough, the succubus decided it was time to part ways. "Well I would love to hear more of your lecture Mizore, but I have a competition to win," she walked away and headed towards her newly assigned comrades.

When she reached her teammates she stopped right in front of them. Looking directly into the blonde's eyes she poked him in the chest. "Keep your _eyes _and _hands_ to yourself!" As soon as she said that she swiftly walked past the jinchuriki duo. When she noticed that they weren't following her she felt a vain pop in her forehead. _Idiots! _She screamed inwardly. Abruptly she turned around and with her hands on her hips.

"ARE YOU TWO JACKASSES COMING OR NOT!?"

Naruto and Gaara exchanged quizzical expressions before shrugging and following the irritated girl. It was best not to upset her any further.

As they walked behind her Gaara decided to break the silence. "She's quiet the feisty one isn't she?"

Naruto snorted, "That's putting it mildly."

"Now I understand why you like her so much…"

Annoyed, Naruto rolled his eyes at Gaara's statement. Ever since the first day of school the busty succubus had become a constant topic for conversation. Personally Naruto would rather not talk about the loud girl, but since Gaara was so persistent the topic would keep reoccurring. For some reason his '_cousin_' was under the impression that he was interested in her.

"Gaara…How many times do I have to tell you? I don't like her, why the hell would I anyways?"

Not even needing to think the Kazekage softly replied, "Because she's just like you."

"What the hell!? That's the worst insult ever! We are nothing alike." He ranted while scratching his blonde locks. The heat was really beginning to affect his scalp. "She's loud, obnoxious, rude, and annoying!"

Gaara couldn't keep the small grin from forming on his stoic face, "And those characteristics don't sound familiar to you?"

"What? Are you trying to say that I just described myself?" he asked slightly offended.

When he didn't get a reply, a vein in his head pulsed revealing his irritation. "I really don't get why you keep bringing this up?" He sighed.

"It's nothing to think about. You're my closest friend so I want you to be happy."

Naruto scoffed, "Well I appreciate it, but I don't really think we're compatible. You might see some similarities, but trust me we're worlds apart, both literally and figuratively." The fact that he used four complicated words in one statement gave him a sense of pride. _Nekonome sensei's teachings are really coming in handy. _

Gaara nodded, "Yes, there are some differences and similarities between the two of you and who knows? I might be wrong." He stated calmly as he stepped over a dead rodent. "It's just a suggestion…But don't let your stubbornness get the best of you. If you're attracted to her talk to her and if not you can just ignore her."

Not wanting to talk about this anymore Naruto grunted and picked up his pace. _There's no way in hell I would be attracted to girl like that, _he thought to himself. She's loud, annoying, she talks a lot, and she's cocky. Why would he like a girl like that? He wanted someone who was loving and caring, just like his mother...Not someone who was selfish and annoying.

However, as he thought these things his eyes started to travel from her back, all the way down to her firm round ass. His eyes bounced in rhythm with every swing of her hips as she walked. Once he realized that he was checking her out he shook his head vigorously and grunted before he focused his attention elsewhere. _What the fuck! Why do my eyes keep following her?_

Catching up to him Gaara walked alongside his irritated '_cousin_.' With a little bit of amusement in his deep voice, he asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah everything's great!" he shouted sarcastically. Wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible, he changed his tone. "So...Do you know an easier way to locate those tongue monster things?"

"Do you mean dorian?"

"Yeah whatever dorian's…How are we going to find them?" Surprisingly enough Gaara's facial expression changed from stoic to thoughtful. Does he really have an idea?

"Well actually there's a number of ways to find them…But I'm not going to tell you…" The red head spoke without emotion.

"W-What? Why the hell not?" the blonde shouted.

After hearing the question the red head stopped. Slowly he turned his head so that Naruto would be visible through the corner of his left eye. "Remember Naruto…This is a competition. We may be on the same team, but that doesn't mean I'm going to assist you."

"That's music to my ears!" Naruto smirked remembering the original arrangement. "I wouldn't want it any other way!"

"I'm glad you feel the same," Seeing that the blonde was pumped up and ready to go, Gaara decided it was time for the hunt to commence.

Suddenly the cork on his gourd popped off like the ones you would fine on Shan pane bottles. Instantly, large debris of sand surrounded the Kazekage in the form of a cloud. Once the cloud had formed, he held out his hand.

_What the hell is he up to? _Naruto wondered as he quietly watched the spectacle. _What kind of jutsu is this? _

Slowly small minerals rained down from the sand cloud on to his palm. When the particles were settled in his hand he knelt down on one knee. Placing the palm of his hand onto the earth's surface he began to funnel his chakra into the ground. The minerals traveled through the ground in all directions in search of something.

_Is he tracking the monster? _

Once he was done he got up and dusted off his school pants. Turning back around to Naruto he addressed him. "Naruto…I'm going to be parting ways with you and the succubus."

"W-What?" The blonde said stumbling over his words. "You can't do that we're supposed to stick together remember?"

Knowing he would say that, Gaara decided to explain. "If the three of us stay together we probably won't be able to hunt by ourselves and no one will be victorious."

Though that was true, Naruto still disagreed, "Yeah… but you can't leave me alone with her!" He shouted pointing to the girl who was walking ahead only a few meters ahead.

Gaara sighed; he really didn't feel like doing this at the moment. "I'll be going now," he murmured as he turned around and walked away. There was no time to waste standing around, the sooner he finished the better, but before he got far he stopped. "One more thing," he whispered.

Naruto's brow quirked, "Huh?"

With a serious expression he turned around, "Don't underestimate the Dorians."

"What do you mean? He asked. "It's just a prickly ball with mouths what's there to fear!?" He chuckled. Seriously he couldn't believe his friend a 'Kage' was worried about something so trivial.

"Don't let their appearance fool you…They're more dangerous than they seem at first glance."

Still dumbfounded by his friends concern, the blonde continued to laugh to himself. "Gaara you're joking right? You aren't seriously scared of that ugly thing are you?"

Rolling his eyes the red headed male continued his explanation. "Of course not…If you were by yourself I wouldn't have even bothered telling you this, but since she's with you-

"Hey assholes could you walk any slower!?" Kurumu screamed causing the boys to turn and look at her. She had finally reached a clearing and she was tired of waiting for them.

The girl glared with her hands on her hips. "Well?" she stared at them expectantly. She had every reason to be mad instead of being with her beloved Tsukune she was stuck with these guys. Unbeknownst to her, a small round creature was slowly creeping towards her as she waited for them.

Ignoring the interruption he went on, "Since she's with you I thought it would be best to take caution."

Finally Naruto's laughter came to an end, "What?"

"For you and I killing something like a dorian would be child's play, but I don't know how strong the others are so I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"Gaara?"

"Yes?"

"How the hell do you know so much about dorians?" Naruto asked curiously. He couldn't understand how Gaara new all that. They hadn't even been in this dimension for a full month and he was talking like freaking expert!

Without answering a small grin graced the red head's lip. Tardily his body began to dissolve into grains of sand. The sand continued to blow as his face and body began to disappear into the wind.

Realizing what he was doing, Naruto started to run towards him, but it was too late. When he reached out to grab him he was already gone.

"Damn it Gaara!" Naruto stomped his foot in the ground. "You could've at least answered my question you asshole!"

Now that Gaara was gone it was just him and Kurumu. That was just great. While Gaara got to hunt the dorians on his own, he was stuck with the most annoying chick on the planet or at least in this dimension. _That jerk…Why couldn't he stay with her and let me go? _Grumbling to himself, Naruto kicked a rock to vent his frustration. _Well there's nothing I could do now, but make the best out of this. _

One thing that was bugging him was Gaara's parting words. _Don't let their appearance fool you… They're more dangerous than they seem at first glance._ What did he mean by that? Do the dorians have some kind of secret unknown ability? Pulling him out of his thoughts was the sound of a girl screaming.

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

"What the hell was that?" Turning around Naruto looked around the area to see where the sound had come from. Instantly his eyes landed on Kurumu struggling to break free from something. He couldn't tell what it was but it looked like slimy water hose. Not wasting any more time, he sprinted to her.

When he got within arm's reach, what he saw was a little disturbing. There was a spikey ball with it's tongues wrapped around her body. They were all over her, from her breast all the way down to her legs. It must be a perverted monster, because it's tentacle things were finding their underneath her sweater vest and skirt.

"What the hell!" He shouted.

"N-Naruto you h-have to help me," she said with a stutter. "This t-thing won't l-let me go."

"Wow I didn't know you knew my name," Naruto replied sarcastically.

Kurumu growled, "This is serious!"

With a look amusement Naruto smirked while crossing his arms and looking away, "Why should I? I mean… I' am a perv after all so you wouldn't need help from the likes of me."

Kurumu glared at him while panting, "Are you serious? You're going to pull this shit now!?"

Naruto sighed before rolling his eyes. "Calm down I'll help you," He said before digging into his pocket to fish something out. Pulling out a rather large knife, he began to toss it up in the air playfully. "Even though you don't deserve my help."

Kurumu cringed as he approached her. She didn't like the look of that blade, "Y-You do know what you're doing with that thing right?"

Naruto chuckled, "Of course I do, I'm actually used to handling a different weapon but since I don't have it, this will have to do." Obviously he was referring to his kunai. Ever since the school confiscated his weapon's pouch, he had been carrying around a large knife that he had stolen from the cafeteria. It wasn't much, but he needed something so he could refrain from using any jutsu.

Carefully he began to cut the dorians first tentacle. He didn't want to accidently cut Kurumu by mistake so he went at a nice pace. As he sliced through the monster's tongue he noticed that the dorian started to fidget around. _He must be in pain_, he figured as he continued to cut. After only a few seconds he had completely cut off the tentacle, causing it to lifelessly fall to the ground.

"That's one down!" Naruto cheered.

When Kurumu saw the tongue fall to the ground she let out a breath of relief. Though it was true that she wanted to eat a dorian, that didn't mean she wanted to be sexually assaulted by one.

As Naruto started to cut the second tentacle, she quietly watched him. She hated to admit it, but she was glad that he was around. If it wasn't for him, she'd be stuck with this thing clinging to her. Maybe she should be a little grateful. In a murmur she whispered, "Thank you…"

"What was that?" He asked while struggling to sever the second tongue.

With sincerity in her eyes, her violet orbs met his blue ones. "I said… Thank you."

Surprised by her words, he stopped for a second to listen to what she had to say.

Looking him in the eyes was beginning to make her uncomfortably so she looked in the opposite direction. "I-I know I'm not always nice to you, but I really am grateful that you're helping me." Now her cheeks were red from embarrassment.

Once she was finished, Naruto smiled. "You're such a pain," he sighed as he went to back to cutting. As the blonde finally sliced through the second tongue, he continued, "I didn't help you because you asked; I helped you because I see you as a friend. Even if you don't feel the same about me…"

Stumped by his response, she could do nothing but stare. How could he see her as a friend after how she's treated him? Since he arrived two weeks ago she had done nothing but insult him at every given chance. Calling him pervert, asshole, dumbass etc.

_I guess I could be a little nicer to him. _

While Naruto was cutting through the final tongue, he noticed the dorian was stirring even more violently than before. _Damn that things acting crazy! I better hurry up before it decides to do something. _But before he could finish the ground beneath them began to shake. As the earth shook, Naruto started to lose his footing.

"What's going on!?" Kurumu panicked.

"Something's coming…" Naruto replied as he continued to stumble.

Suddenly more tentacles sprung from the ground and wrapped around Kurumu in a tight grip. "I can't move," She tried to break free but the tentacles were too tight for her to do anything.

"Damn it! I have no choice," raising his hand he did an all too familiar hand sign. **"Shadow clone jutsu!" **Smoke immediately started to surround him.

"What did he just do?" Kurumu questioned as she continue to struggle to break free. She couldn't see him with all the smoke concealing his movements. What was worse was the fact that the dorians grip was getting tighter by the second. She felt suffocated since she had such large breasts.

Suddenly several loud roars came from within the cloud.

"Yeah! Time for some action!"

"Let's fuck shit up!"

"Yeah let's kick that thing's ass!"

_What the hell going on? _She clearly heard a number of voices but they all sounded like Naruto.

Five Naruto's suddenly emerged from the cloud of smoke. Each of them wore a confident smirk as they prepared to engage the dorian. Swiftly the original Naruto pumped some of his chakra into the blade before chucking it at the tongue that was restricting Kurumu's movements.

Following their leader the four other clones followed suit and launched their blades towards the tentacles that were wrapped around her wrists and ankles. When the tentacles were finally off, she fell to her knees and started to pant.

Though she was finally free, she was nowhere near safe.

"Kurumu!" Naruto screamed. She looked up to see Naruto attempting to grab her. Successfully he grabbed onto her sleeve, but as he did that the ground beneath them completely crumbled. Emerging from the ground were two sets of sharp teeth and they completely surrounded them. _It just as I thought, it was a trap all along_. Before the mouth could close them in, Naruto swiftly threw Kurumu out of the monsters hungry clutches.

She landed on the ground hard scraping her knee in the process. By now her sweater vest was covered in dirt and her skirt was slightly torn, but she was a big girl so it was nothing she couldn't handle. Picking herself up, she turned around and gasped at the sight before her eyes.

There it was…The dorian's monster's true form.

It was pretty big and it resembled a giant pitcher plant. The tentacles coming from it were even huger than the ones on the fruit. It's teeth were large and sharper than a katana. After she took in the monster's form, she thought back to what had happened only seconds ago. Naruto had grabbed her and threw her out of harm's way. She was safe, but what happened to him?

When the monster let out a large belch, Kurumu's eye's widened in horror. Shocked, her hand covered her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. "Oh no…" it was all her fault that he had gotten eaten. If she hadn't gotten caught in the first place this would never have happened. Now she had felt even worse for being such a bitch to him. Her eyes were starting to water and her body began to tremble. Not being able to hold back anymore she screamed, "Naruto!"

During her moment of shock, the monster began to approach her. Its long slimy tentacles sprung out to grab her but a blade cut through the appendage before it could reach her. Turning to the direction the projectile came from, she spotted the blonde that had her worried. "Naruto…" She smiled. Knowing that he was safe caused a huge wave of relief to wash over her.

"Don't celebrate yet… I'm not the original."

"W-What?"

"I'm just a copy," He said before pointing to the dorian. When she looked at the monster she saw one Naruto on top of the beast head stabbing it repeatedly. Then there was another that attacking it from the front, while a third Naruto was attacking from the side. "The boss is inside that thing."

_That's right…He cloned himself. _

"W-Well do you think he's still alive in there?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course he is," The clone smirked as he watched his comrades continue to battle the large monster. "If he were dead we would have disappeared."

Well that had made her feel a little better, but how the hell was he going to get himself out? He was unarmed so the only thing he could use was his monster form. Well that's what she believed. Regardless of what was going on, she wasn't going to stand there like a frightened animal. With a determine look she stepped towards the beast. "I'm going in after him," she declared.

The clone took a hold of her wrist, "No, you have to stay here."

The succubus glared at the blonde's copy, "So I'm just supposed to sit here and wait for him to be digested? Screw that I'm going!" She tried to break free from his hold but he just wouldn't let her go.

"No, you can't go. The boss gave us strict orders to keep you safe. "She was about to argue again when he interrupted her, "Don't worry about him, he's way too strong to be killed by something so weak!"

Hearing the confidence in the clone's voice made her settle down a bit. Maybe he was right, after all she didn't know anything about Naruto's abilities other than the fact that he can clone himself and she only found that out a few seconds ago. Then she had to think back to the first time she saw him fight. When he went up against that guy at school he was in human form and only armed with a pencil and today he only had a knife.

When she really thought about it, Naruto was quiet the resourceful guy. _But is he really capable of escaping the dorians stomach, _she wondered as she watched the clones battle the beast. The dorian had received several wounds from the clones, but was still holding it's own against them.

As the battle continued on, the monster began to jerk around frantically. All of its moving made it difficult for the clone to focus on balancing while atop it's head. Instead of staying on for the ride, the clone jumped off and watched as the dorian fell to the floor and struggled to breathe. Obviously the beast was in serious pain, but why?

"What is it doing?" Kurumu asked.

The clone standing beside her smirked, knowing all too well what was about to happen. "Dying…" Right on cue, the monster's stomach began to bulge and glow. Something was about to come out or someone…

Bursting through it's abdomen was giant blue ball of energy. The monster's innards splattered on the ground as the ball emerged from within. It's groans of pain continued for several moments before silence enveloped the area.

The large ball of blue energy began to defuse and when it did it revealed a hand. Climbing out of the dead dorian was a blonde teen wearing a white dress shirt that was covered with blood and guts. His dress pants were in an even worse state. They were soaked with stomach acid along with a few other unknown fluids.

Naruto panted as he hunched over holding his knees. _Well that was a disgusting experience. _Being inside that thing sucked; he doubted he would be able to eat dinner. "Gross…" He murmured as he dusted off some of the monster's remains.

"Naruto!" He looked up to see Kurumu running towards him. She looked like she was actually happy to see him which was something that he wasn't used to.

"Are you alright?" She asked stopping in front of him. Looking him over she didn't see any bruises or wounds, the only thing wrong with him was his scent. He reeked, but she couldn't blame him since he had spent almost three minutes inside the dorian's stomach.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" He replied in between breaths. It wasn't the first time had been devoured by something. Once he caught his breath he looked up to see his four shadow clones walking his way.

"Thanks, for keeping her safe," He said with a grin. "I would have been out sooner but I temporarily lost consciousness while inside."

"No problem boss!"

They replied simultaneously which sort a freaked him out since he never seen them do that before. "W-Well good job you guys can go now," the clones nodded before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

When they were gone he decided to take a seat on the ground. He looked over his shoulder and saw the fruit that Dorian used to trap their prey. Grabbing the item he smirked, before looking up at Kurumu who was looking at him with a bewildered expression.

How the hell can he be so calm when he had just gotten devoured!? Yeah he survived and broke free, but he's acting like it never happened though it only took place moments ago. _This guy… he's such a freakin weirdo! _

"Well we caught the ugly fruit thing," he chuckled. "Here ya go!" He tossed her the repulsive fruit since he had no interest in the creature. Strangely he didn't get the reaction he was expecting. He thought she'd be hopping for joy at thought of catching it. Instead she kept staring at it with uncertainty. "What's wrong? Don't you want it?"

"Yeah…" she started as she held it in her hands. When she saw what remained of the monster's fruit tongues' it made her smile for some reason, "That's nice of you Naruto, but I can't take that you're the one who defeated it."

"What? Why not?" He asked raising a brow. "I can't take that thing! It makes me want to vomit when I look at it!"

"Yeah… but…" Even though he was reluctant she didn't want to win this way. "I can't. It's just I don't want to win my date with Tsukune by taking credit for something I didn't do."

Her reasoning was honorable. He didn't expect her to turn down her offer. He was guessing that she one of those superficial girls who do anything to get what they wanted, even cheat. _Maybe she isn't so bad_ after all he grinned, "Alright Kurumu I understand. You're an honest person and there's nothing wrong with that."

The unsuspected compliment made the girl blush so she turned around so he couldn't see her face.

"So…" She wanted to bring this up but she didn't know how. _Maybe it would be better if I just come out say what's on my mind_. Relaxing she took a deep breath, "You have the ability to replicate yourself?"

Her sudden inquiry caught him off guard, but he replied hesitantly, "Yeah…" he said not wanting to go into detail. "I can clone myself."

"I see," Turning around to face him she saw the reluctance on his face. He was hiding something. "So then…What kind of yokai are you?" she asked.

"Why do you want to know?"

The blue haired girl smirked, "You said we're friends…And friends don't keep secrets from each other right Naruto?"

"W-Well…Yeah but this isn't a secret. Its private information that I'm not allowed to share."

Annoyed Kurumu's eyes narrowed, "Why not? You know my monster identity why can't you tell me yours…?"She growled.

Naruto could sense her irritation and he didn't want to start up an argument with her after they had their one and only pleasant conversation. The blonde sighed, "That's different…You didn't tell me your monster identity. You revealed it when you fought Kokoa."

"Why do you have to be so damn difficult!?" Kurumu grunted with a glare.

"Why do you have to be so damn nosey!?" he retorted with a glare of his own.

For a moment there's was nothing but silence. Both of them stared at each other not muttering a word. It was an uncomfortable situation to say the least. After a while their expressions began to soften, showing that they were a little more relaxed.

Kurumu rubbed her shoulder and sighed, "I'm sorry I raised my voice…"

"Me too…" He replied solemnly before standing up and stretching. He had to loosen up his joints, since he didn't have a chance to earlier. "Well we should be heading back now," he picked up the dorian fruit. _Man this thing is hideous,_ he cringed.

"Why are you taking the dorian? I thought it grossed you out?" she asked.

He turned to her and grinned meekly, "Yeah but we still need to get a grade so I have to take it, besides didn't you want to eat this thing?"

She shyly tilted her head smiled, "Yeah that's true."

"Well then let's get going…" He said as he started walking in the direction they came.

Kurumu started to follow but remembered something and stopped. "Hold on we can't leave yet…"

"Why not?"

"Where's the red head? I haven't seen him in forever!" She looked in all directions trying to spot the boy but was having no luck.

Naruto chuckled, "Are you serious?"

"What?" She asked with her hands on her hips, "What the hell's so funny you asshole?"

"You just realized that he wasn't here!? What the hell is wrong with you succubus?" He laughed hysterically while pointing at her.

"Hey fuck you Blondie! Do you know what it's like to be attacked by a flesh eating monster? It's pretty traumatizing," She screamed. She paused when she saw him staring at her like she was a complete retard_. That's right he had just been eaten. _"W-Well what do you want me to say? Your cousin's so freakin quiet I don't even know when he's around sometimes!"

_Well she does have a point there. _"If you must know he took off to go hunt by his self," Naruto replied with some bitterness. He was still pretty pissed off that he ditched him. "Bastard," he murmured under his breath as he started to walk.

The succubus jogged to catch up with the irritated boy. "Well that's not nice," she commented as she walked alongside him.

"Yeah you're telling me…" He snorted.

"I mean…He could have at least said something to me before he left," she added.

"Well in his defense you were pretty pissed off at that moment," he countered.

"Whatever," she huffed. She acted like she was mad but after a few seconds she couldn't help but smile. She never expected someone could be so cheerful after that experience.

"You know…" He started with a grin. "You're a lot cuter when you smile…" Immediately her cheeks reddened and she punched him in the arm. "Oww…That hurt a little," he whined.

"Hmph…" She turned her head to the sky and walked ahead annoyed, "Serves you right jerk…" _Who does he think he is? Saying stuff like that and making me feel all weird… _

Rubbing his sore shoulder he mumbled, "Maybe I should have just turned around and acted like I didn't hear anything…"

"What was that?" she growled.

"Nothing!" he said while waving his hands frantically.

With that…The odd pair continued to walk back to the campsite to meet up with their friends and the rest of their class.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Know your place!" Moka kicked the enormous dorian in its cranium and the beast flew back and crashed back into the earth. Gracefully the beautiful vampire landed on the ground next to her friends.

Running a hand through her sliver strands she sighed, "Now…This time I don't think it will be getting back up."

"That was awesome Moka!" Yukari shrieked.

"Not bad," Mizore commented.

The young preteen was amused, but Moka was becoming annoyed. "I don't understand where these things are coming from, it's like there's no end to them." They had only been in the forest for fifteen minutes when outer Moka found their first dorian fruit monster. When she was about to reach for it Yukari stopped her. Right then is when it burrowed up through the ground to reveal its true form. Of course at that moment Tsukune didn't waist anytime removing Moka's rosary.

Since then, they had been attacked by four dorians while traveling through the yokai woods. At first they weren't too bothered by it since they were having a competition. Eventually it started to become overwhelming. The dorians weren't at the top of the food chain in the yokai world but they were still tough nonetheless and when there in numbers it's even worse.

Another loud boom was heard behind them causing the girls to turn around. When they did they saw an awakened Tsukune standing over a dying a dorian. His tie was disheveled and his shirt was dirty. Panting the brunette fell to his knees. He was exhausted. He didn't even want to participate in this contest, but he couldn't just let the girls do all the fighting. That would make him feel like less of a man.

Automatically Mizore and Yukari ran to his aid, while Inner Moka just walked at a slow and calm pace. "Are you alright Tsukune?" The stoic vampire asked.

"Yeah…I'm…Fine." He panted, "Just a little tired."

Moka nodded in understanding. Tsukune was growing stronger but he was still getting used to his powers, so it wasn't surprising that his stamina was lacking. "How many do you have so far?"

"Two," he responded before rising to his feet.

The vampire smirked in satisfaction, "I have two as well. So we are tied, I wouldn't have predicted that." Turning to the other girls she looked them up and down. Both girls felt naked beneath her gaze, "How about you two?"

Mizore face remained indifferent while Yukari seemed a little uncomfortable with the question. Her constant fidgeting made that clear, "Well Mizore killed one and I helped a little, but she let me keep the fruit."

Surprised Moka turned to Mizore for a reaction, "Why would you give the dorian away? I thought you wanted a date with Tsukune."

The snow woman eyes shifted to Yukari and she could see how embarrassed she felt. _What a pain, _Mizore thought. She didn't really want to talk about it but she knew how persistent Inner Moka was. "Yukari's lying…We defeated it together. I gave her the fruit because I have more endurance than she does, so catching another one shouldn't be a problem for me." Yukari looked up at her with apprehension but Mizore gave her a look that said be quiet.

Impressed by her selflessness Tsukune smiled, "That's very nice of you Mizore."

Agreeing Moka nodded, "Yes, that's very admirable."

In truth, Mizore did inflict most of the damage, but Yukari did help. If it wasn't for her she wouldn't have known all of the monster's weak points. Besides she knew what Yukari's was feeling even though she didn't say anything. She always knew. The young witch felt inadequate when compared to the other girls. She wasn't curvy and she was still lacking in the breast department. Mizore knew firsthand how it felt to be an outcast so she was able to sympathize with her.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I'm ready to go back," Tsukune said in between yawns and stretches.

Inner Moka shook her head, "Sorry Tsukune but we can't depart yet."

"Why not?"

"Because Mizore gave the fruit to Yukari, it's only fair that she gets a chance to catch -"

"There's no need for that," Mizore cut in while giving her nails a quick once over. She wasn't a girly girl but she still likes to keep up with her hygiene. "To be honest, I'm kind of tired of being in this damn forest. I just want to get back to Yokai so I can eat some dorians."

Moka, Tsukune, and Yukari were kind of baffled by her passive attitude. They knew Mizore had a lax personality, but they weren't expecting this. She was practically forfeiting.

"But you have to catch a dorian," Yukari frowned. She felt bad since she was holding the fruit that shouldn't be hers. "Don't you want to win the contest?"

The snow woman shrugged, "Yes I do, but I don't think it's safe for us to remain here any longer. Who knows we might come across some more dorian fruit monsters on are way back and if push comes to shove I'll just kidnap Tsukune and take him on a private date for some one on one," she smirked devilishly.

Tsukune gulped at Mizore's declaration. "O-Ok I guess we should gather the fruit and head back to camp he suggested." Seeing no reason to argue the girls nodded. "Here's your Rosary Moka," he handed her the metallic cross.

Gripping it in her hand she thanked him. She thought about putting it back on, but she decided it would be best to wait till they got back. You never know what might happen. It's better to be safe than sorry.

As the four prepared to head back there weren't aware of someone watching them from a distance. Behind a large oak tree, Kokoa Shuzen watched her sister and her friends. Those emerald eyes of hers focused in on Moka the most. She was the only one that mattered to her. The others were just in the way. "Big sis…" she sighed. "You're so strong and beautiful…One day I'm going to be just like you."

Her little Ko buddy floated above her with a smile, which the bat seemed to always have on its face. Sneaking out and following them was a brilliant idea. Not only did she get to watch her sister fight, but she also got to see the true form of the dorian.

When she saw them starting to walk in her direction she cursed, "Damn! They're headed this way! I better get going." Smirking, the flame haired girl grabbed her pet bat then turned around and ran so she wouldn't get spotted. Her destination wasn't the campsite but the school. She snuck on this trip after all so she couldn't go back to the campsite or Ms. Nekonome would give her detention for a week. With that being said she was going to have to take a short cut. _Ha-ha stupid Nekonome sensei doesn't know a thing!_

The little vampire continued to laugh as she sprinted through the forest. Seeing a downward trail approaching she smiled and made a left. Going down the slope she began to move even faster. Being a vampire she was already pretty fast, but while running on a downward slope, that speed of hers served as a disadvantage, because of the momentum she began to lose control.

"Oh shit! I can't slow down!" she screamed.

Eventually she started to trip over herself and she started tumbling down the hill comically. As she continued to roll down, many curses and obscenities left her mouth. When she finally reached the ground a loud grunt escaped her throat. To make things worse she landed in a very inappropriate manner. Her ass was in the air revealing her pink striped panties and her face was in the dirt.

"Son of a…" Kokoa slowly tried to pick herself up off the ground. She didn't have any bumps, bruises or contusions. The only thing that hurt was her butt. When she rose to her feet she started to rub her injured posterior. "Fuck," she groaned. Staring at the little fur ball in her hands she frowned "Are you hurt?" When the little bat shook it's head she smiled. "Good," she then steadily rose to her feet.

Now that she was in control of her body again she was able to take in her surroundings, but she saw shocked the hell out of her.

"What…The hell…" she murmured.

This area was completely different from the rest of the forest. Unlike the other various areas of the yokai forest which were lush green plant life, this particular spot was dry and completely void. There was no grass or trees as well as wild life. The closest thing to plantation that was there were shrubs.

Her green orbs continued to survey the area as she walked through the miniature desert. "What is this place?" she asked aloud. She had been in the yokai forest numerous times and not once did she come across this place.

She kept trekking through the unknown area until she stepped on something. She looked down to see her tiny foot on top of a caution strip. Kneeling down she picked up the piece of yellow tape. "What is this doing here?"

Carefully she inspected the cheap piece of plastic. On the tape she saw small speckles of dried blood as well bite marks. _Something isn't right here…_

Rising to her feet, she resumed her pacing until she almost tripped over something. Regaining her balance, she looked down to see an enormous ball that was two times the size of your average watermelon implanted in the ground. Observing it closer she noticed it had rough skin along as well as little pricks. Then it hit her, she knew exactly what it was.

"No Fucking Way!"

Kokoa couldn't keep the excitement off her face. She had just found the largest dorian fruit that she had seen since she's been in these woods. "It's incredible," she whispered. She was about to reach down and touch when she realized something.

If the fruit is this big, then the real monster would have to be gigantic. She knew she was tough, but she wasn't dumb enough to think she can take something like that on by herself. Besides she didn't like the way her Ko buddy was trembling above her. Wisely she started to take a few steps back_. It's probably best I don't get involved_, she thought before glancing at the fruit one more time.

Calmly she turned around and walked away, ignorant to the fruits movement behind her back. Haphazardly, huge tentacles sprung from the ground and latched onto her ankles. "What the hell!" she shrieked.

Desperately she tried to break free from the tight grip, but was having no luck. There was only one thing she could do to get loose. "Ko buddy!" she yelled. Knowing what it's master was asking, the bat transformed in a puff of smoke. Falling into her hands was a golden armed sword. One of the strongest blades you could find.

Relentlessly the girl began swinging the sword, attempting to cut the tentacles into ribbons. Unlike Naruto, she had a powerful sword so she was having better success. In seconds the tentacles were noodles around her feet. "Piece of cake," she smirked while resting the golden dagger on her shoulder. As if nothing happened, Kokoa whistled carelessly as she proceeded to walk away in blissful ignorance. She thought that was it, but it was only the beginning.

Before she could get too far the ground began to shake violently. This quake was unlike any other. It was so strong it caused Kokoa to fall on her ass with her sword falling next to her. _What now!? _She panicked. Now she was really beginning to become scared and she wasn't the type of girl you could scare easily.

Her heart was now beating faster than ever and her body wouldn't stop shaking. Only a few meters away from her current position the ground started to crumble. As chunks of earth fell into the newly made a whole something huge emerged.

Climbing out of the heap of rubble was a creature of tremendous size. Standing at over 2 stories tall was a monster Dorian. It's tentacles were as long as a water hose and as thick as a full grown python. The beast towered over her with its enormous tongue. The appendage was slathered with mucus and acid. With fear in her eyes only two words came to mind.

"Holy…Shit…"

The behemoth let out a monstrous roar that could be heard throughout the woods. Kokoa took that as a sign to get the fuck out of there. One of the dorian's tentacles lashed out at her but she grabbed her sword and rolled away. The large appendage barely missed her but made a huge hole in the ground where she was previously sitting.

"Ko change back! We have to get out of here!" She screamed. There was no way she was going to be able to run at full speed while carrying such a heavy sword. Obeying it's master, it reverted back to its original form. Kokoa held Ko in both hands and pressed it against her breast.

She saw the trail that lead back up to the forest and headed straight for it, but she can feel the monsters footsteps with each quake! It was hot on her tail. Before she could start running back up the hill a tentacle wrapped around her waist. She gasped when she felt the slimy thing encircle her.

"No! Let me go Damn it!" As the monster pulled her back she made sure to not let go of her precious Ko buddy. That's it! _She thought. _"Ko trans-

She didn't get to finish her command caused the beast whirled her around and slammed her hard against a huge stone. As soon as her petite body made contact with the stone she cried out in pain.

"AAAHHHHH!"

Her loud cry echoed throughout the woods. The beast then lifted her back up off the large stone and whirled around again but this time it slammed her into the ground. Again Kokoa let out another painful scream. As she laid there on the ground she began to feel dazed. At this point the young vampire was coughing up blood. Still through all of her pain she didn't let go of her precious bat.

Panting she looked up to see the condition of her pet. With a blurred vision she asked, "Are you alright Ko?" The frightened little bat nodded while staring back it's master with beady eyes. "That's good," she smiled as blood continued to leak out of her mouth. Once again the monster began to slowly raise her up off the dirt. "Okay Ko…" She whispered while struggling to breathe, "I want you to fly away now. Ok?"

Ko stared back at her before shaking it's head in refusal. It refused to leave her; she was not only a partner to it but a friend. "No Ko you have to escape!" She tried to yell but her voice was weak and she was beginning to lose consciousness. The monster was now smiling as it was preparing to eat it's lunch. Triumphantly it bellowed as the drool dripped down from its mouth.

When she saw that the bat still made no signs of moving she used the last of her strength to raise her voice. "Ko I'm not going to say it again! Leave now!"

This time the little bat trembled when it heard her yell. Deciding not to fight her anymore about it, the bat flapped it's wings and flew out her hand. Before taking off the little bat stared at her with tears in its eyes.

"Don't cry Ko…I don't…Want you… to worry about me…You'll find a new master." Her eyes were now fluttering as she struggled to stay conscious. "Now go!"

Reluctantly the bat flew away, but not before glancing at her one last time. When she saw it disappear into the trees she smiled. _Thank you Ko...For all of your help… _

One last time the monster twirled her around like a rag doll before slamming her into the gigantic hole that it created when it first appeared. At an amazing speed her body plummeted into the deep abyss. Inside the hole was dark so when her body made contact with the floor she couldn't brace herself for impact.

"GAHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed when her body collided with the ground below.

There she was, lying motionlessly in the deep trench; her body was practically numb at this point. There was no doubt that several of her bones were broken. The bones in her left leg and right arm were completely useless, along with her ribs which were basically shattered.

The beast laughed as it lifted it's prey out of the ditch. The dorian was making sure that she had absolutely no strength left to resist. Done playing around with it's food, its tentacles positioned her in the sky right above it's mouth. Opening wide, the creature's carnivorous teeth were revealed. The drool and acid leaked from it's mouth as she hung lifelessly above it's head.

Kokoa had completely given up. There was no way she could get herself out of this predicament and she doubted any one would show up to save her.

_I guess this is what I get for being so hard headed. I should have listened to Nekonome sensei and went back to class. Now I'm going to die without even coming close to being as strong as my big sisters. _All hope was completely lost.

_Well at least I came this far, _she grinned.

Finally the monster let her go and she began to plummet down toward it's eager mouth. Preparing for her demise she closed her eyes tight. She didn't want to see anything else or think about anyone else. She just accepted her fate.

Before her body could fall into the dorian's hungry mouth, something happened.

After a few seconds Kokoa started to wonder what was going on. _Am I dead yet? _She wondered. Know way it took this long to be devoured by a giant monster. For some odd reason it felt like she was floating. Curiously she opened her eyes. When she did she was met with the vanilla skies of the Yokai world.

"W-What this?" She asked a loud. Did the dorian all of the sudden change it's mind? Maybe it thought she was bad for it's stomach. Whatever the case she praised god, that she was still alive. It took her a while but she finally noticed that underneath her fingertips were grains of sand.

_Sand? _

To be positive she dug her fingers deep into the material. Yeah it's definitely sand. But how? Slowly the cloud of sand lowered her battered body to the ground. When she heard a loud roar she realized that the monster was still nearby and by the sound of it, the beast was pissed off.

Her green orbs were half open as she looked around her to see she was in the same area but she was a safe distance away from the creature. "...What's going on?"

"It's seems like I arrived just in time…" said a deep voice from behind her.

Hearing footsteps Kokoa became alert. She wanted to turn and see who was approaching her but she was far too weak at the moment. Stepping in front of her was a male in a white dress shirt and black slacks. She couldn't see his face since he was facing the opposite direction, but she noticed that he had red auburn hair and that was enough for her to come to a conclusion.

"It…Can't be…"

Turning around Gaara locked eyes with the bruised and battered vampire. As usual his face was completely void of any emotion. His gaze was strong, it made her feel very nervous, but she was glad he showed up when he did. She started to ask him what he was doing here, but he interrupted her midway through her question.

"Rest easy…I'll take it from here."

**To be continued… **

**Now there's a cliffhanger for ya! Gaara vs. King dorian. Who will win in this battle of the titans? Hahaha as if you don't know! Well that's chapter 7… I hope it was to your liking and if not feel free to speak your mind on your review. Yes and that goes for you annoying haters and flamers as well… **

**Don't forget to review…Till next time see ya!**


	8. Chapter 8: Identify Yourself!

So here we are. The long awaited chapter 8 has arrived and we finally cracked 100k words. Not to brag…But it took me two months to update instead of three so that's an improvement. Right? Just so you know this chapter is pretty dialogue heavy. In other words there's going to be a lot of talking so I hope you guys are okay with that. You should also know that no pairings have been written in stone. Yes there are couples that I have planned from the beginning and some of you even know them, but romance has a funny way of working sometimes, so don't just assume that a character is going to end up with someone because of the chapter.

Other than that, I don't have much else to say. As usual I would like to thank all you readers who took time to favorite, follow, or review this story. Finding inspiration would be hard without all your praises and demands for updates. A lot of them are detailed as well as amusing. Thanks guys it really kicks me in gear and gets me motivated to write. Oh and DeBob19 thanks for the jutsu suggestion. I gave it a shot in this chapter.

Author's note done. Let's get to the chapter!

R&R Guys.

**Chapter 8: Identify Yourself!**

"Slow down Moka!" Tsukune yelled from her rear. He was doing his best to keep up with her, but the pace she was moving at was ridiculous. Currently they were running through the yokai forest.

"I can't slow down! She's in danger!" Moka yelled back. She was far too distraught to even think about slowing down. Every second counted, she had to get to her before it was too late. Right now her adrenaline was pumping and her heart was racing.

Pushing himself as hard as he can, Tsukune began to pick up speed until he was running alongside her. "Are you sure it's her!?"

"I'm positive!" she replied without hesitation. There wasn't a doubt in her mind. "It's Kokoa! And if we don't get their soon she might-

"Don't think like that Moka!" Tsukune eyes narrowed. He didn't want her to have negative thoughts, she needed to be as optimistic as possible and she needed to be focused. "You have to have faith in her."

Swallowing the lump in her throat she nodded, "You're right Tsukune." She shouldn't be expecting the worst, she needed to remain positive.

It had only been five minutes ago that their group was returning to the campsite when they heard an echoing scream of agony. Alarmed the four of them stopped and turned around. They knew somebody was in trouble, but who could it be? Is what was running through their heads at that moment. Clearly it was a girl, but that's all they knew.

Whoever it was needed their help. Inner Moka, Tsukune, Mizore and Yukari all exchanged glances before nodding in unison and running back in the direction they had came. When they had first started sprinting they were all together, but only seconds later did the circumstances change.

Another loud scream was heard and this time Moka's heart cringed. She was positive now about who the voice belonged to. At first she didn't want to believe it, but when she gave it some thought, it made perfect sense. Kokoa was the only girl she knew who would always find trouble. She had been that way since they were kids.

Unconsciously she started to pick up speed distancing herself from the others. The only one who had been able to match speed with her was Tsukune. When he turned around, he didn't see Mizore or Yukari behind them. They weren't able to keep up, which is one of the reasons Tsukune wanted to slow down, but he understood Moka's desperation. If it were one of his relatives he'd do the same thing.

Eventually they had got within a close enough range for Moka to pick up her scent. "Tsukune do you smell that?"

Quickly he took an inhale so he could try and catch a whiff of her scent. Gulping the brunette nodded, "Yeah… it's definitely her!"

Moka's eyes narrowed, "Alright let's hurry! We don't have any time to waste!"

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- X

Right now Kokoa was speechless. Not just because she wasn't in the position to speak, but what had just happened baffled her beyond belief. She had been rescued by one of the last people she would expect to come to her aid. The exchange student with the red hair had just saved her from becoming a giant plant's lunch. Usually this kind of thing only happened in the movies.

Now he was standing before her preparing to engage the creature in battle. He was either completely out of his mind or he was extremely powerful. With all her heart she was hoping it was the latter, because if it wasn't they didn't have a chance in hell of surviving this ordeal.

When his eyes focused on her injured form, her body tensed. His gaze was intimidating, she felt like an ant beneath his stare. She didn't know what he was doing here in the first place. Last time she saw him he was with the blonde and the succubus. Did he come alone? And what's with the sand?

Slowly she tried to sit up, but her body just wouldn't cooperate. With a grunt she fell back onto the sand cloud. _Damn it, my body received too much damage. _With nothing else to do she just lied there in the sand. She might have not been able to do anything, but she still had some questions that need answering. _Why is he here? What made him come to this place?_

Unfortunately for her, her savior didn't seem like the talking type. He might not have been talking, but his eyes were on her instead of the dorian. _Is he crazy? He should be focusing on the dorian instead of worrying about me._

Right on cue, the monster plant lashed out at him with one of it's enormous tentacles. The heavy appendage was coming down on his head, but just as it got within reach a wall of sand automatically deflected the attack.

Kokoa's emerald eyes Bulged. _What the fuck_! Is what she wanted to scream, but didn't have the ability to. _Did that really just happen? _The sand had automatically come to his aid and the crazy thing was that his eyes were still on her.

The vampire wasn't the only one that was shocked. The gigantic dorian seemed to be confused as well, seeing as it wasn't moving. When it tried to pull it's tentacle out of the sand it wouldn't budge. It was as if the sand was holding onto the appendage. Frustrated, the dorian began to growl as it continued to try and pull away. After a while, the creature was finally able to retrieve it's tentacle from the wall of sand.

_Her injuries are pretty bad,_ Gaara thought to himself. Her whole body was covered in bruises and he was positive that she had some broken bones, because she was struggling to move. She was also bleeding from her mouth.

"Stay still…" He told her in a low tone.

Kokoa's brow rose, "Huh?' she asked in a daze.

"Don't move, just stay there for now," with those words he turned to face the monster at hand. He could tell the plant was a little hesitant when it came to attacking him and it was wise to think twice. _I'm going to have to end this quickly, she needs medical attention._ _Hopefully she'll be alright since she hasn't lost too much blood._

Interrupting his train of thought was an earsplitting roar.

Once again the brutish plant prepared to attack, but this time it's target wasn't Gaara. Furiously it's tentacles whipped toward Kokoa, who was completely defenseless. Before the organ could reach her, Gaara extended a hand in the vampire's direction. Instantly sand rose from the ground around her and trapped her in a defensive dome of sand. The tentacle hit the dome hard, but it couldn't even put a dent in the solid structure.

Now the beast was becoming even more agitated as it continued to pound the dome with all it's might. "It's no use," Gaara stated though he knew the dorians mind was too primitive to understand what he was saying. Looking up at the rampaging monster, the red head found the prize he was looking for. Atop it's head was a gigantic red fruit hanging from a thick vine that was connected to the beast's noggin. _There it is…_

Eventually the monster got sick of pounding the dome and switched it's attention back onto Gaara. Instead of attacking with one tentacle, this time the plant monster used all of them. Again Gaara's sand came to his defense in the form of a giant wall.

Going on the offensive, Gaara maneuvered his hand to attack. Springing up from the earth was a giant hand of sand. The hand continued to rise in the air until it got to the top of the beast's head. Shukaku's giant claws reached out and took hold of the enormous fruit that resided on the beast's cranium. Doing a squeezing motion with his hand, Shukaku's hand mimicked this action and successfully ripped the fruit off it's vine.

The hand then tossed the enormous fruit in Gaara's direction. The red produce landed on the ground and rolled till it stopped before his feet. Gaara looked down at the enormous fruit for only a second before returning his attention to the dorian.

"Now that I have this…I can end you…"

Suddenly the sand dome that was protecting Kokoa fell apart and the minerals retreated back into the earth. When she looked up the first thing she saw was something clinging to the plant monster. It looked like a giant hand was latched onto the dorians head. "What is that thing?" she asked in a whisper. _It looks like a giant arm made from sand._ Her head slowly turned to the left where the red head was standing. _He's doing this…_

Aware of his surroundings, his eyes briefly wondered over to the girl who was currently lying on his sand cloud. Curiously he raised an invisible brow, _she's still conscious? _After all the injuries she had sustained he would have thought she'd be knocked out by now. But there she was lying there still trying to sit up though her body was severely weakened. _Her persistence is admirable..._

Leaving the girl to her musings, Gaara refocused his attention back on the monster. He had already wasted enough time on the creature. While staring at the dorian he couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. He knew the monster was nowhere near powerful enough to challenge him, but he was hoping it would at least make things a little interesting. He had to face facts; it was going to be a while before he or Naruto came across a worthy foe. _Oh well…_Lifting both of his arms up in the air he prepared to finish the beast off.

**"Sand Prison!" (Sabaku Ro!)**

Emerging from the ground were four more of Shukaku's monstrous arms. In a flash, the claws of sand took hold of the giant plant. It struggled against the arms of sand. It roared and squirmed with all its might, but it's resistance was proving futile. "There's no escape," Gaara murmured in monotone. When the hands of minerals lost their form, the remaining sand encased the monster in a large shell easily trapping it within.

Now he began to steadily lift his right hand up into the air. Following his hands movements was the gigantic ball of sand that held the monster prisoner. Slowly the enormous ball of compacted sand elevated towards the skies of Yokai.

Kokoa watched in awe as the stranger controlled the immense ball of minerals. _How the hell is he doing that? _She wondered. She had been raised in a house full of S class monsters, but never in her life had she seen anything like this. He had completely dominated the dorian with little effort, while she was only seconds away from losing her life to the monster. What was even more crazy is he hadn't moved an inch since he first addressed her and decided to take over. He was standing in the exact same spot.

Gaara continued to raise the ball of sand until it eclipsed the sun. The eclipse that was created by the globe, had casted a shadow over the forest. Before finishing the attack he needed to create a shield so no one got affected by the attack. With his other hand he summoned the minerals from beneath the earth's surface. Once he gathered the necessary amount of sand from the earth, he added his own special sand to reinforce the barrier.

Kokoa gazed up at the massive sphere. _What is he about to do?_

With that out of the way, his green eyes went back to sphere of sand lingering in the sky. "Now Then…" he proceeded to clench his fist into a tight grip.

**"Sand Burial!" (Sabaku Soso!)**

Instantly the huge ball of sand imploded completely liquefying the monster. It's fluids dripped down from the sky as well as the blood mixed minerals. The monsters bodily fluids and acids landed on the sand barrier that Gaara had created before executing the jutsu.

In the back of his head, he couldn't but help but be amused by something. Four years ago during his darker years he would have probably toyed with the beast until he was bored, but since his sadistic personality was long gone he decided to end it quickly.

The orange haired girl watch with wide eyes as the monster's remains rained down. "H-He finished off that giant dorian…L-Like it was a toy that he had gotten bored with." That wasn't a battle in her eyes…It was a complete massacre. All three of her sisters were extremely powerful and she knew if it were them they could have defeated the giant plant with no problems. But…One question lingered in her mind.

_Would they be capable of making it look that easy?_

When she saw the red head leaned down to pick up the large dorian fruit she prepared to address him, but was interrupted by a loud voice.

"Kokoa!"

Hearing the familiar voice, the young vampire's heart jumped with excitement as well as nervousness. With all her strength she raised her back off the ground. It was her sister and she was running to her frantically. It had been a while since she had seen her big sis scared.

Behind her she could see Tsukune as well as the witch and snow woman who seemed to be out of breath. The hybrid didn't seem to be that tired, but the snow woman looked a little exhausted and the witch was completely tuckered out. Usually she would make a snide comment about weaker monsters having low stamina, but she was in no position to gloat.

Kokoa tried one more time to sit up and this time she was almost successful. Her back was already trembling, but as soon she reached a vertical angle she let out a cry of pain, before falling once again. Before her back could make contact with the sand cloud she felt delicate fingers supporting her. She turned her neck to the side to see her sister staring with those crimson orbs.

Moka's eyes narrowed, "What happened to you?"

Kokoa grinned sheepishly, "I…Got beat up."

The elder sister snorted irritably. "I can see that, but what the hell were you doing out here in the first place?"

_Shit… _Kokoa cursed inwardly. Now she was in a real pickle, if Moka found out she ditched school to come here she'd be in serious pain. Well she already was, but she'd be in even more pain! At times like this Kokoa actually preferred her sister's bubbly personality.

Nervously Kokoa's eye's shifted back in forth as she tried to think of a believable excuse. She was already in excruciating pain, so having her sister add anything additional would probably cause her body to crumble. "Uhh…I" She started while still trying to come up with a good answer. There was nothing she could say to justify her presence in the yokai forest.

Seeing her sister struggle to come up with an excuse, caused her to grin, "Never mind that's not important at the moment. Right now all that matters is that you're safe." Scolding her right now wouldn't do any good anyway. Her body had received a lot of punishment; the only thing that mattered was getting her back to the school so they can take her to the infirmary.

"How is she?"

Moka turned to see Tsukune approaching behind her. The expression on his face was one of shock and worry.

The stoic vampire frowned, "She has a lot of broken bones, but other than that she'll be fine since she didn't lose much blood."

"Good," Tsukune smiled while kneeling down next to her to get a better look at Kokoa's injuries. In his awakened form his vision was much more precise, so his eyes were able to catch things that would usually go unnoticed in his normal state. _Moka's right. At least a quarter of the bones in her body have been completely broken._

The vampire turned to the red head with a focused stare. When their eyes met neither of them faltered which wasn't surprising considering their personalities. _He has the power to manipulate sand at will. I've never seen a yokai with that ability. What's even stranger is the fact that he did all that in his human form._

She knew that he was powerful, but she didn't know he possessed that kind of ability. If they were to go head to head, she wouldn't stand a chance against him at her current level, which was all the more reason for her to find out what his true intentions were.

Though there were many questions going off in her head, there were more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. She needed her get her sister to a doctor and fast.

Carefully positioning one arm beneath her legs while the other delicately cradled her neck, Moka lifted her from the sand cloud. "We need to head back to camp and let Nekonome sensei know what happened here."

Kokoa wanted to disagree, but she really didn't feel like arguing with her sister at the moment. Though she didn't want to get in trouble with her sensei, she was in no position to debate. She ended up like this because she didn't follow orders. Right now she was just grateful to be alive.

As Moka carried her back towards the hill that lead them back into the forest, her eyes started to flutter. She couldn't deny her tiredness any longer. She had been fighting to stay awake for what seemed like forever, but she just couldn't hold out anymore. The cool breeze was affecting her senses causing her to feel even drowsier. Letting a well-deserved yawn escape her mouth, the vampire's eyes closed as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

As Moka reached the top of hill, she heard the sound of light snoring. Looking down she saw her younger sister sleeping peacefully. When she moaned something inaudible, the elder vampire smiled. Though her sister acted tough, beneath that hard exterior was a normal girl who just happened to be misunderstood.

Exhaling she turned to Mizore who eyes were opened wide in shock, while Yukari was next to her but still hunched over trying to catch her breath. Being a witch she didn't have the natural stamina that other monsters possessed.

"Come on…We're heading back," She told them as she moved past them with Tsukune walking beside her.

The snow woman didn't respond, her blue eyes continued to gaze toward the bottom of the hill where the red head stood staring back at her impassively. _Did I really just see that or am I hallucinating?_

She couldn't believe what she just witnessed, Gaara had fought what had to be the largest dorian in the entire world and won. Effortlessly! It just didn't make any sense at all. In her sixteen years of living she had come across many powerful beings and they were all S rank yokai, but she had never seen anything like this. No this was beyond incredible, it seemed unreal.

Eventually reality set in and she was able to snap out of her momentary shock. Finally her heart beat seemed like it began to slow and her eyes returned to their usual hollow forms.

_So that's what he was hiding in that gourd? He has the power to control sand and earth minerals. Similar to the way I control the ice and snow._

As Yukari finally started to catch her breath, the petite witch was capable of standing up straight again. However her hair was sticking to her face and her pointy hat was tilted. When she looked up she noticed Mizore gaze lingering downward toward the dry region below. She didn't have to ask what she was looking at.

"That was insane," the witch mumbled breathlessly. "Wasn't it?"

Mizore nodded, "He crushed that dorian with little to no effort." _Not to mention he was able to keep Kokoa safe in the process._

Yukari turned to face Mizore; her violet eyes bore into her blue ones. "So what do you think? What should we do?" she asked. Right now the witch was being consumed with uncertainty. Unlike Kurumu and Mizore who had been suspicious of Gaara and Naruto from the beginning, she had decided to give them a chance. But after witnessing the red head's power she couldn't deny the conflicting feelings growing in her chest.

At first she had just saw them as classmates and potential friends. Especially Naruto since he was so friendly with everyone. Now her perspective has changed and her curiosity along with some inner fear, had been sparked.

Finally Mizore was able to drag her eyes away from Gaara and shift them to Yukari. "Honestly I don't know how to go about this, but the only thing we can do is talk to Moka and Kurumu and then we can go from there," she replied in a whisper. She knew that it would be wise to wait till they all got together to talk things out. There was a chance that Kurumu had made a discovery while hanging out with the blonde. Which raised the question why wasn't Gaara with them in the first place?

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," she responded while fixing her hat so it would sit properly atop her head.

The snow woman concurred before taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Well I guess we should get going. Don't want to be left behind," she stated before returning her attention the bottom of the hill. "What the…" she gasped while staring down at the empty pit.

_Where did he go?_

Just like that, the quiet red head disappeared out of thin air. _Damn him, _she thought with a deadly glare._ This is the second time he's done that to me. _It was just like that time when they were in the cafeteria and he vanished out of sight. _How the hell does he do that? _She was starting to think that he was screwing with her head intentionally.

_Bastard…_

"He's gone," Yukari noted in a much calmer fashion. When she felt a deadly aura, she turned to her left to see Mizore with her head down. Her hair hung low over her eyes, but she could tell that the snow woman was upset by her balled fist and trembling body.

"Uhh…" she hesitated while observing her irritated friend. "Are you alright Mizore?"

The older girl exhaled before unclenching her fist and relaxing her fingers. "Yeah…I'm fine Yukari," She lied before turning around and stepping back into the forest. "Let's…Catch up to the others…"

With that she continued to walk into the forest while deep in thought. Now her mind was more active than it had been all day. His powers certainly raised a lot of questions and that distinctive human scent made things even more complicated. Then there was his speed and ability to blend in despite his appearance.

_Yes there are many questions that require answering…_

In a daze Yukari watched Mizore's retreating back until she became aware that she was being left behind. "Hey! Wait for me damn it!" she yelled as she jogged to catch up with her partner.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- X

Back at the campsite groups of students were slowly beginning to return, many of which were hobbling as they entered the clearing. The training was for survival so it's not surprising for someone to come back with a few bumps and bruises. As long a team returned with live members and a dorian in hand the assignment was a success.

Shizuka Nekonome smiled as she watched her students trek back into the clearing from different directions. So far half of her class was had already made their way back. Sure some of them had a few injuries but at least they were alive. The previous class she took hadn't been so fortunate. Four people had been eaten by the plant monsters, while several others were severely wounded.

That assignment had been a tragedy, so the headmaster decided to ban the training, saying that it was far too dangerous for the program to continue. This had happened three years ago. If it wasn't for some of the members of the faculty who appealed it the training program would still be banned.

Sighing, the young cat woman adjusted her glasses as she walked around the open field. Most of the kids who had returned were either resting or tending to their injuries; she also brought an emergency aid kit just in case. Having the kit was actually one of the conditions that had been put in the contract to bring the training back.

"I told you I'm fine. So leave me alone!"

Shizuka turned back around to see two of her students arguing, one male and the other one female. The girl was lying on the grass while her partner tried to tend to her injuries. Though he wanted to help, she didn't want any of his assistance. Luckily, this boy happened to be very persistent.

"C'mon Kurumu stop your complaining and sit still!" Naruto demanded as he took hold of her scraped knee with one hand. In the other hand was a small bottle of alcohol that he had gotten from the emergency aid kit. "If we don't clean your wound it could become infected!"

Naruto may seem like an idiot at times, but he had plenty of experience when it came to injuries. After all he did spend a lot of his time in Konoha's hospital. Even though the treatment was unnecessary thanks to the nine tailed fox, he somehow always ended up there after an exhausting or dangerous mission.

Not to mention he had learned a few tips from Sakura while he was there. Now he was happy he half paid attention instead of dosing off like he would usually do during a boring lecture.

"I don't care!" she shouted back while kicking out her toned legs in protest. "I'm a yokai; not some weakling who can succumb to a minor injury like this!"

"Will you just listen to me for once woman?!" Her contrarious attitude was really getting on his nerves. It was her fault she ended up getting all those bruises in the first place.

While the two of them were walking back to the campsite with their dorian fruit they encountered several more plant monsters. Instead of fighting them together Naruto told her to stay back and let him handle it so he wouldn't have to worry about her safety. But for whatever reason she didn't heed his words and that resulted in her current injuries.

"What's going on here?"

Naruto looked up to see their Ms. Nekonome standing over them with a curious look etched on her face. Her glasses perched on her nose and her eyes brow raised she awaited an answer.

"Uhh… hey sensei," he replied nervously. Unfortunately that was best response he could conjure up at the moment. Being caught in this predicament was uncomfortable to say the least.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

The blonde nodded, "Yeah everything's fine. Just trying to help Kurumu here with her injuries." Turning to the succubus he shot her an irritated glare. "But she's being rather DIFFICULT!" he said through clenched teeth.

"I told you I'm fine idiot!" Chuckling she turned to her sensei with a light hearted wave. "I'm alright Nekonome sensei. Naruto is just being a PEST!" The last word had plenty of emphasis on it as she returned his glare with one of her own.

"Well it's good to know all is well, but when exactly did you guys get back?" She asked curiously. Since the first group returned fifteen minutes ago she had been keep a lookout for the rest of her students. Being a cat woman her reflexes and senses were top class, so she couldn't understand how the two of them could slip pass her that easily. _Hold on…Two, _she thought to herself as she noticed something strange. _They are missing someone from their group!_

"Never mind," she coughed to clear her throat. "Where's Gaara? Shouldn't he be here with you?"

The last thing she needed was a death on this trip. If she lost another student she wouldn't be able to live with herself. The first time she had done the trip she was a new teacher, only nineteen years of age. Being so young and inexperienced she was actually looking forward to the assignment and encouraged her class to have fun and explore.

However, when four of her students didn't return she was devastated. For months she blamed their deaths on herself and she was even on the verge of quitting, but was quickly reassured by the rest of the faculty that it was something that couldn't be helped. Even though it was in the past the young lives she lost still haunted her to this day.

Kurumu grinned anxiously, "Uhh… about that… You see…"

The succubus was racking her brain for a good excuse, but was coming up with anything. In reality there wasn't a good reason for the red head's absence. So if she told her the truth than all three of them would probably receive a failing grade on this training assignment and after going through what they went through that was unacceptable.

"Well-

"He's in the forest taking a leak," Naruto replied using his thumb gesture towards the woods behind him.

"Oh…Really?"

"Yeah… he should be back any minute now."

"I see," she replied. The uncertainty in her voice was clearly heard. She wanted to ask them why they didn't check in with her when he had gotten back like the rest of the students, but she decided to leave well enough alone. It had been a long day, so she would ask the necessary questions during better time once everyone had their rest.

She was about to leave when she noticed something that was completely out of the ordinary. On the other side of Naruto were four dorian fruits. _How in the world did they defeat multiple fruit monsters? _It was rare for someone to bring back two fruits and when it did happen it was usually done by an S or A class monster and even so they usually came back pretty beat up.

_But besides Kurumu's scraped knee and a couple other bruises she was fine and Naruto doesn't even have even scratch on him. Only thing wrong with him are his clothes and smell._ Covering her nose she took a few steps back. _Wow that's strong I can't believe it took me this long to notice such a stench. It smells like he went for a swim in a sewer._ _How can Kurumu tolerate this dreadful aroma!?_

"Is there something wrong sensei?" Kurumu asked.

"No," she responded with a nasal voice as she continued to cover her nose, so she wouldn't have to breathe in that awful smell. "I was just looking at your dorian fruits there," she pointed to the round objects that rested next to Naruto's leg.

"Yeah pretty impressive right?" Naruto stated proudly while trying to remain cool in the process. "It's not hard to accomplish when you're as strong as me!" When he heard a cough and a rather aggressive nudge from his partner he turned to her.

Her violet eyes were in the form of daggers as they locked in on him. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Naruto blinked a few times before lifting his gaze thoughtfully. He started to hum to himself hoping that it would somehow help him remember. After about twenty seconds of hard thinking he turned back to the succubus. "Nope I think that's everything!" he smiled.

Only a second later he felt fist come down hard on his skull. Immediately he covered the top of his aching head with his hands. "Oww!" he shouted in pain. "That hurts! What the hell was that for?!"

"I helped to you asshole!" Kurumu yelled with a tightly balled fist.

Seeing there crazy antics caused the cat woman to giggle. It was always good to see her students interact with one another. "Well I just wanted to check and see how you guys were doing. We should be leaving in about half an hour. We are just waiting for the rest of the groups to return," with that the young woman turned on her heel and walked back to her station in the center of the field.

Once she was a safe distance away Kurumu sighed in relief. "That was close," she said before turning to Naruto who was still nursing his aching cranium. Her lips curled into a smirk when she saw a small lump form on top of his head. _Serves you right!_

As she continued to stare at her partner she started to frown. Something had been bothering her, but she didn't know how to voice her concerns. _Maybe he'll be honest with me this time,_ she thought positively. Taking a deep breath she got his attention. "Naruto…"

"Hmm?" the blonde stopped holding his pounding head and looked back at the succubus, "What's up?"

"Well…" she started while rubbing her arm nervously. "You know that giant ball that was eclipsing the sun?"

_I don't like where this is going. _"Yes…"

Kurumu sighed. She can already tell by that look on his face that he was going to try and avoid this somehow, but nevertheless she pressed on. "What do you think that was?"

Hearing the enquiry, Naruto felt another interrogation coming on. _What with this girl and all these damn questions? _He wanted to be mad, but he couldn't blame her for the suspicion. There was a lot that she and the others didn't know about them. Still that didn't change the fact these secrets needed to remain hidden.

Eventually he and Gaara would have to tell them the truth, but he doubted that they would believe a thing they said. In their eyes the idea of two people traveling from another time and space might seem farfetched.

The fact remained that he did know what that ball was and who it had belonged to. _It was Gaara's sand prison, but why would he use such a technique. Is he trying to blow our cover?_

"Honestly…I have no idea what that was…"

Immediately he felt both of her hands grip his collar viciously. "You lying bastard!" she screamed while shaking the blonde violently. The constant rocking was so fierce that it caused his head to lurch back and forth. "I know you know something! It's was Gaara wasn't it?"

"I'm telling you I don't know anything!" Naruto replied comically as she continued to shake him with vigor.

"What about that giant layer of sand that was hovering over half the forest! No one in our class has that ability and he's the only student I haven't seen in action! Can you explain that! Huh?"

There was no escaping this onslaught and Naruto knew this. Every question she had asked he knew the answer. The fact that she was dead on with her accusations proved that she was a little smarter than he thought_._

_Maybe Gaara was right, we do have some things in common._

"You two are quite noisy…"

Speaking of the red head…

Hearing another voice interrupt their conversation again, Kurumu stopped her crazy vibrations. Naruto was definitely thankful for the disturbance. Loosening her grip on his collar she turned around to see the very red head they were talking about standing behind them.

"It's you," she said with narrowed eyes. "We were just talking about you. Where did you go and why the hell did you disappear like that? We could have got a failing grade because we were missing a member. Good thing your cousin covered for you," she pointed to the blonde who was still dizzy from all the shaking that had just took place. He seriously felt like he his brain had been placed in a blender and put on mix.

When he didn't reply she felt a vein pulse in her head. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"What is there to say?" was his instant response.

_This guy is really starting to bug me._ First he leaves then in the middle of their quest so they could do all the work by themselves. Then he comes back and acts like nothing ever happened and everythings dandy! _Yeah she was pissed. _Nevertheless she took a deep breath and relaxed her arms so she wouldn't end up strangling the stoical male.

After her initial irritation wore off she took her time to take in his condition. The first thing she noticed was that he didn't have one bruise on his body, not to mention his clothes didn't have any tears. Not even a spec of dirt was found on his white dress shirt.

_That's odd…_

Anyone would get at least a bruise or two while doing such an assignment, but he didn't even have the slightest piece of soil on his clothes. He looked exactly the same as when they first arrive. Now she knew something was wrong, but before she could say something she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

Entering the opening field was an awakened Moka and Tsukune was also without his cross. She had guessed they had removed their limiters for battle. She wanted to scold Tsukune for being so careless since he didn't have control over his power yet, but her jaw dropped when she noticed Moka was carrying someone.

"Who is that?" she wondered as she squinted her eyes and gave them a rub to wipe away the perspiration. Whoever it was they were small that much she could tell. She prayed it wasn't Yukari as much as the little witch annoyed her she still cared for her deeply, but she would never tell her that of course. Slowly Kurumu rose to her feet and started pacing toward her friends.

Naruto was about to go with her when he felt Gaara grab onto his shoulder. The blonde turned his head to look back at his friend.

"We need to discuss something's…"

He stared at him with a raised brow before nodding. It was good timing since he wanted to talk with Gaara as well and he was pretty sure they had same thing on their minds.

"Hey!" She waved to them as she started to jog.

Moka didn't reply to the succubus since she had other things on her mind, but Tsukune mustered up a friendly wave despite the situation. "Hey Kurumu," he replied with a forced smiled.

When she got to a close enough range she was able to identify the person as soon as she laid eyes on that flaming orange hair that she had become familiar with during this past month.

"Kokoa…" she whispered breathlessly. _What was she doing out here?_

It was no secret that she and the other girls didn't get along with the petite girl, since they were constantly being attacked by her. Still she was Moka little sister and as much as she disliked Kokoa she wouldn't wish this kind of misfortune on anyone, not even her worse enemy.

Stopping in front of them, she looked down at the vampire and frowned. "What happened to her?"

Moka sighed, while looking down at her sister who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. "She was attacked by a dorian," she said with her usual stoic facial expression. Though she was worried she didn't want the others to see her like that or she'd appear to be weak.

Kurumu's eye's shot open in surprise."What! A dorian did all this to Kokoa?"

"Well," Tsukune started while rubbing the back of his neck. Explaining things to Kurumu would only bring more drama but she had the right to know what happened. "This dorian was pretty big and it was a lot stronger than the other ones we had encountered."

"How big was it?"

The brunette rubbed his chin thoughtfully before coming up with a good example. "I guess it was about half the size of the main building at the academy."

The succubus was almost speechless. "That big?!" she asked in astonishment. That must have been the source of that loud roar we heard earlier. Fighting against something that huge and surviving was nearly impossible. She wasn't even sure if Moka would be able to take on a beast of that magnitude and she was one of the strongest monsters she had ever met. "How the hell did she survive?"

Before another word could be uttered, Mizore and Yukari came trekking out of the forest and into the field from the same direction as Moka and Tsukune. Mizore looked a little tired and pissed off, but other than that she was fine. Yukari on the other hand was completely exhausted. Her brown hair was a mess and her legs felt like jelly from all the walking and running.

Kurumu couldn't help but grin at their appearances, "What happened to you two?"

"None of your damn business," Mizore replied irritably. She was not in the mood for Kurumu's playfulness.

As soon as Yukari reached the others she plopped down on the grass and sighed. "I'm…So…Tired…!" she groaned before stretching her small arms. "I just want to go home and take a nap!"

"Wow…You guys look like you've been to hell and back." Kurumu commented as she looked them up and down. They had definitely seen better days.

Now she was beginning to wonder who had a rougher time hunting their group or her own. Out of the four of them the one who looked the least wore out was Moka. Tsukune looked fine as well, but the bottom half his shirt was destroyed revealing his lowers abs, shamefully her eyes lingered there for a moment before traveling back up to his face.

"I see you're back!"

All five of them turned to see Shizuka Nekonome jogging toward them with a notebook at hand. As usual she had a vibrant smile on her face and her tail was out again, but it really didn't matter since they weren't at the academy.

"So how was your quest?" She stated cheerfully, but her happy demeanor evaporated when she noticed Kokoa lying unconsciously in her sister arms. She noticed the wounds she had on her legs and arms. She wasn't bleeding at the moment, but she could tell by the way her limbs were hanging that some of her bones had been broken.

"What's Kokoa doing here?" she gasped. Her golden eyes traced over the girls form. "And why is she so badly hurt?"

"I don't know the specifics," Moka replied. "But I do know she was attacked by a king sized dorian monster."

Shizuka covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my goodness!" _So they stumbled upon the legendary king dorian? How in the world did they survive? Hold on…If they encountered a king dorian… That means they must have walked through one of the dry trenches._

The woman knew that had to be case, because king dorians reside in dry areas and there are only two dry regions in the whole forest. Unlike the other dorians these monsters didn't just settle for anything. Their diet consists of large animals such as deer, bears, foxes, and of course unsuspecting monsters.

Since a lot of the animal life was dying out in this particular forest more and more monsters were falling prey to dorians due to that reason.

_Well in the end all that matters is that they're safe. _Ms. Nekonome sighed, "Well we can't leave yet, because we are still waiting for more groups to return. Luckily we do have the first aid kit so we can tend to her injuries the best we can before we head back to the academy."

Moka nodded gratefully, "That will suffice." If it was anyone else she would have ignored her teacher and took them to get medical attention immediately. However since her sister was a vampire and had a body that was almost as resilient as hers, she knew that a few minutes of waiting wouldn't hurt.

Shizuka held her hands in a welcoming manner, "Here I'll take her."

The silver haired girl looked at her sensei questionably before slowly handing her sister over. _Knowing Nekonome sensei she's in good hands._

Once Shizuka got a hold of her she gently bounced her in her slender arms. "Wow! She's even lighter than she looks!" she declared with a smile.

Moka let a small smile grace her lips, "Thank you sensei." She bowed to show her gratitude.

The older woman giggled before waving her hand dismissively. "Oh Moka, you don't have to thank me. It's my responsibility as a teacher to make sure that my young scholars are safe. Though Kokoa isn't in my first period class, she's still my student and I care for her as if she were my own daughter. However, I will have to give her detention once she's been properly treated for disobeying the rules, but right now her well-being is what's most important."

Again Moka nodded in agreement, "Of course."

Shizuka smiled, "Well I'm going to give her some temporary bandages. If we aren't ready to leave in ten minutes you have my permission to leave and take her to the school infirmary. Does that sound fair to you Moka?"

"That's fine." The truth is that was her plan from the beginning, but she was glad that her and Ms. Nekonome were on the same page.

Nothing else left to be said; Shizuka turned on her heel and walked back to the middle of the campsite. She had been so caught up with Kokoa that she had forgotten to ask them about their hunt. That just shows how much she cares about her students, but if she needed an indication of their success, all she needed to do was look at the five dorian fruits that Tsukune was holding against his body.

With Ms. Nekonome out of their hair – At least for now, they could relax for a minute. Though they trusted their teacher there were things they didn't want her to know until they had a grasp of the situation.

Just as soon as she had left all of their attention immediately went to the other side of the field. Yukari even stood back up so she could get a better view. Naruto and Gaara were alone having a private conversation. From the look of it seemed like it was pretty serious. The red head was calm, but the blonde was ecstatic about something.

After the events of today, all of them including Tsukune were suspicious. After witnessing Gaara's powers, he was very on edge. Though he saw him as a friend, there still was a lot that he didn't know about him. Now he found himself asking the same question he did when they walked in their class two weeks ago.

_Who are they?_

"Kurumu…"

Breaking him out of his thoughts was the sound of Moka's stoic voice. When he looked into her crimson eyes he could tell that she was contemplating something. She seemed to be observing the bruises on the succubus's body.

When she got the girls attention she continued. "Tell me…What happened during your hunt with those two?"

Kurumu gazed back at the vampire with a similar look on her face. "Well actually Gaara wasn't there. He left me and Naruto before we could start hunting."

Moka nodded, "Yes I'm aware."

Kurumu blinked at that statement. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Are you saying that he was with you guys?"

Tsukune shook his head. "No…But when we found him he was with Kokoa."

"Really?"

"Yes," Moka replied while still trying to process all the information that she had gathered about them so far. The whole situation was completely mind boggling but it was important that she kept a cool head. "He was fighting the dorian, while protecting Kokoa."

Kurumu's eyes suddenly shot open. "Are you serious?!" She all but shouted and Mizore had to reprimand her so she wouldn't draw unwanted attention. In a much lower tone she spoke. "How is that even possible?"

"We were shocked to," Yukari said with a slightly frightened expression. Truthfully that might have been the most terrifying thing she had ever seen. Yes, she was amazed, but that kind of power was not only destructive but scary.

"So that sand I saw hovering over the forest belonged to him, correct?"

"Yes," Mizore responded irritably. Her arms were folded across her breast and her nails were digging into her sleeves. She didn't know why, but she was upset. Right now she was too mad to be scared. The sad thing was she couldn't really understand the emotions that were flowing through her. She was confused, impressed, nervous, and even a little jealous all at the same time. "The power he demonstrated was beyond imagination."

Now the turquoise haired girl was even becoming scared. She knew that there was something weird about him when she first saw him, but tried to ignore the feeling. "W-What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly.

The snow woman raised her head with narrowed eyes. When she opened her mouth to speak her blue lollipop carelessly fell from her mouth and onto the grassy plain. "I'm saying he killed that monster like it was nothing more than a helpless rabbit."

"Huh?" was the only word that Kurumu could formulate.

_How could that be possible? _She thought. The shock was causing her jaw to go slack. _From Tsukune's description that dorian was at least five times the size of the ones we encountered. That thing nearly killed Kokoa and he defeated it without even trying._

"It's true," Moka said solemnly. "We didn't see the entire battle but we did witness the finishing move." When she saw Kurumu staring at her with those big violet eyes she knew she was waiting for her to continue. So she did. "Am I correct in assuming that you saw that giant sphere eclipsing the sun?"

"Of course," she replied. "It casted a shadow over the entire forest, I would have to be blind not to notice."

Moka closed her red eyes before moving a few strands of her silver hair out of her face. "Well that was Gaara's sand."

Kurumu exhaled knowingly, "I had a feeling it was him…"

"That's not all," Mizore added with an edge to her voice. Her nails were now slowly digging into her navy blue sleeves. "Inside that ball was the dorian. He crushed it…No he liquefied it into nothing!" Just thinking about it made her body shake with anxiety. It was so noticeable that it was starting to worry her friends. Her trembling didn't stop till she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

It wasn't that she was feeling pity for the creature, she knew that it needed to be destroyed for the safety of the students and anyone else who ventured through these woods. What bothered her was how easily he was able to kill the beast. There was no emotion. It was as if he was totally used to ending lives, whether they were giant monsters or even humans.

She lifted her gaze, she saw Tsukune staring at her with those chestnut orbs of his. He was smiling contently, which seemed to ease her nerves. "It's going to be alright." His voice was calm and tranquil at the same time. "You don't need to overthink things," he said with a reassurance.

When she saw that peaceful look in his face, her lips curled up into a small grin. Having him say those things did help her calm down a bit. "Thank you, Tsukune."

The brunette swayed, "No problem, what are friends for!"

Being comforted by Tsukune felt good, but it was also strange. Usually she was the one was cool and relaxed during ordeals. She was the one who had to tell her friends to relax and take a deep breath, not the other way around. If outer Moka was feeling emotional she'd try to talk to her, even though talking wasn't her forte. It was always her who was telling Kurumu to stay calm and to think about things before acting. When Yukari felt down she'd do something to assist her just to let her know that she wasn't alone and when Tsukune doubted himself he'd always encourage him, then again that was something all the girls did since they were competing for his affection, but that was beside the point.

Getting worked up like that was something that she just didn't do.

Kurumu was puzzled. There wasn't another word she could use to describe what she was feeling. After hearing this new information from her friends, was more than she had anticipated. The fact that they were strong wasn't surprising in the least; she had already assumed that they were skilled from day one, but she had never expected them to be this powerful.

Apparently Gaara had the power to control sand with ease and bend it to his will. Not only did he defeat the beast, but he did it with ease. Crushing a giant monster of that size, in a giant ball of sand is just unheard of. Hell before a second ago she didn't even know it was possible to crush someone to death with sand!

But he wasn't the only dangerous one. There was also Naruto. Watching him fight was one of the craziest things she had ever seen. _Hold on…Naruto_

_Oh crap! I forgot all about him._

Right now it was quiet. The girls and Tsukune were now trying to digest everything. It had been a long day after all. With plant monsters attacking, Kokoa's injuries, and mysterious red heads manipulating sand of course someone who'd be bothered. Still regardless, she needed to let them know what she saw as well.

"Guys…" Her voice easily broke the silence and the four of them looked at her expectantly. "I have something to tell you as well."

Moka's eyes narrowed and she tilted her head with interest. "What do you have to say?" she asked with her usual impassive tone. "Does it have something to do with Naruto?" She had a feeling that was the case.

The succubus nodded, "Yes."

Confirming her suspicions, Mizore groaned while rubbing her forehead. She can already feel a headache coming on. "Don't tell me…He has the ability to control the weather and cause hurricanes, tornadoes and other shit like that," she said with displeasure.

"No, that's not it," Kurumu replied calmly. It wasn't time for her to give in to Mizore's sarcasm.

Yukari looked up at her with pink violet orbs. "Then what is it?"

Taking a deep breath she crossed her arms beneath her buxom breast. She had a lot to share, but she wasn't quite sure how to explain. Her eyes once again traveled across the field to look at whiskered teen who was practically shouting at his cousin in a animated fashion, but the red head seemed unfazed.

_That guy is such a goofball._

Decisively she shifted her attention back to the group and with a troubled look she spoke. "He has the ability to clone himself."

At first it was quiet. None of the others said anything; they just looked at her in surprise. It seemed like they were expecting him to have similar if not the same powers as Gaara. They were cousins; well at least that's what they told them, so it was only natural to come to the conclusion that they shared the same skills.

They were staring at her with a look that said '_is she serious?'_

"Say what!?" Yukari shrieked in disbelief.

Tsukune on the other hand was relaxed despite the initial shock. "Hold on Kurumu. Are you saying that he can make multiple copies of himself?"

"That's right," she confirmed. She was expecting a reaction, but nothing like this. And she hadn't even begun to tell them everything. "The clones he creates are perfect replicas and they can actually be used for combat."

"So how many clones can he make?" Mizore asked. This is the first time she had actually asked anything about Naruto, but hearing that he can duplicate himself did intrigue her.

Kurumu shrugged, "I don't know…" when she was watching him fight she didn't really think to count how many clones he used. Rubbing her chin thoughtfully she tried to remember. "I saw him use about twenty or less but I don't know his limit... If he has one." she answered.

"Interesting," Moka replied.

Kurumu sighed. "Yeah…But I'm afraid that's not all."

Once again Yukari let out a comical shriek. "There's more?!"

"What happened while you guys were hunting?" Tsukune asked.

He knew that Naruto was a talented guy and that he was probably in better shape than anyone at the academy. The speed and strength that he had displayed during P.E was outrageous. As a matter of fact he was Kotsubo favorite student and he only has eyes for kids with a substantial amount of skill and Naruto definitely qualified. _So what else is there?_

"During our first battle, Naruto was devoured by a dorian while trying to protect me." Kurumu stated solemnly.

"He was swallowed," Moka questioned. _Now this is a new development_. The information was becoming more fascinating by the second. "How did he escape?"

Thinking back to that very moment when he broke free from the monster's stomach she didn't exactly know what that was. She remembered seeing a huge blue sphere. The way it was spinning and the sound that came from it was mesmerizing. It sounded like water being whirled around like a whirlpool.

But the most astonishing thing was the power behind the attack. It was so compelling that when it burst through the dorians abdomen it destroyed all it's innards and left a whole two times bigger than the blast itself.

"He used a large ball of energy," the succubus replied barely believing her own words.

"Energy?" Mizore repeated in the form of a question.

Kurumu nodded, "Yes…It was a ball of concentrated energy that was rotating. The attack burrowed through the dorian easily." She still couldn't conceive what she had witnessed.

"Wow!" Yukari gaped. "That's incredible..."

"Another thing you should know is that he could use the energy ball and the clones simultaneously," she added. "On our way back to camp he defeated three dorians in seconds using that method."

Tsukune was more alert than ever. _Not only can he create massive balls of energy, but he can use them with his clones. That's a deadly combination._ The hybrid summed. "If he can use them together than that means-

"He can completely overwhelm his opponents," Moka interrupted.

"These guys..." Mizore mumbled while shaking her head in disbelief. "It's like there on a completely different level."

"I'll say," Yukari chirped while placing her small hands on her head, which caused her witch hat to flatten down.

"The most alarming thing is I'm pretty sure we haven't seen everything they can do yet," Moka concluded. She looked to the others and everyone seemed calmed, but there was a silence that told her that they were all a bit worried.

This was more than she bargained for when she decided to observe them. Their skills and abilities far exceeded her expectations. She probably wasn't aware of it but her sharp fangs were now grinding hard against her bottom teeth. Being the even tempered girl she was, the new information didn't scare her, but it made her unsure.

At the moment the two males seemed like allies, as well as good friends. But that didn't mean they were in the clear. There's always the possibility that there just acting nice for another motive. Maybe they were after some secret that was hidden somewhere deep within the confines of the academy. Or they could be trying to kill the headmaster since he is one of the three dark lords. Then there's the chance that they could be scheming something much more elaborate.

The theories were endless and Moka was just an S class monster. She was strong, smart, cunning and beautiful. But above all she was cautious. She wasn't too proud to say that she could be defeated. There's only one way to get this resolved.

Smirking, Moka placed a hand on her hip and stepped forward. "Alright… It's about time we get some answers to our questions!" She declared with a confidence that seemed to somehow lighten the atmosphere. "Today we will find out if the exchange students are friends or foes…"

Kurumu smiled, "And how do we go about that Ms. Vampire?"

Her words amused the crimson eyed lamia. With a toothy grin, she replied. "How do you think?"

Later on that day

Once the students got back to school it was fifth period so Ms. Nekonome gave her class the heads up to go to their dorms and get some rest. The students who were wounded badly or had any fractured or broken bones were sent to the on campus hospital. There were only three students who needed to visit the medical ward, one of which was a certain vampire who had no business on the trip in the first place.

Kokoa Shuzen was being hospitalized for the first time in her young life. Not to say that she was scared or anything, but Moka felt it was only right that she be there to support her. Then there was also the fact that she didn't trust the school or nurse faculty too much. There have been far too many incidents in the past with teachers and nurses alike. She was a cautious person by nature, so she wanted to make sure her little sister was in good hands.

While she was with Moka the other members of their little group waited patiently in the lobby for her return. There were Tsukune, Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari all sat on one side of the room, while Naruto and Gaara sat on the other. There was a thick tension in the air and it was obvious to everyone.

Even Naruto was being serious. He just sat there quietly and exchanged silent but knowing glances with Gaara. They didn't need to talk to communicate with one another; all they needed were there eyes.

They knew what was going on and they had figured it was only a matter of time before they reached this point. After revealing some of their techniques today, they accidently raised even more questions. At first Naruto was upset with Gaara, since the red head was the one who insisted on them not using any of their jutsu.

Reluctantly the blonde agreed and decided not to use any techniques unless the situation called for immediate action. Even though Gaara explained why he used his jutsu, Naruto still thought that he could have used a technique that didn't stand out as much. But then Gaara calmly replied with a shrug of his shoulders saying, "Hnn…I didn't think of that." This caused the blonde to fall over animatedly.

"Look at them, why are they being so quiet?" Kurumu asked leaning in to whisper in the snow woman's ear.

Mizore shrugged, "Don't know, but they've been like this ever since we've returned." She didn't want to think too much about it, because it would only frustrate her and make her lose her cool demeanor.

"Do you think they're plotting something?" The succubus questioned.

The Yuki-Onna shook her head, "No I doubt it…I'm pretty sure they already know that we are suspicious of them."

The speculation continued between the two girls, while Yukari and Tsukune quietly awaited Moka's return. "So how do you think Kokoa's doing," the witch asked randomly.

The brunette looked down at her, before smiling. "I'm sure she's fine. I would be more worried if Moka seemed distraught, but since she's not I know Kokoa will be okay."

"I hope so," she replied solemnly. She didn't know much about Kokoa but she felt like they had more in common with her than even her own friends. Sure Kokoa was a bit snobby and demented, but she still seemed like a good person. If anything she felt close to her because they were both small so they were often overlooked. "Because I think if she takes some time to get to know us…We can become friends," she grinned sheepishly.

Tsukune felt a little more relaxed after hearing Yukari's words. For hours now they had been worried about the situation with their new friends, it was good to finally talk about something different. "Yeah, I think that would be nice..."

At first he didn't know he felt comfortable around Kokoa. He had nothing against her; she just scared the crap out of him, even more so than her sister. She was so violent and she had the same thirst for his blood that Moka had. Nevertheless she still seemed like a good girl at heart so there was no reason not to give her a chance. As long as he stayed on her good side, he was positive that he wouldn't have to worry about his health. He hoped.

For about ten more minutes the atmosphere remained tense. Naruto and Gaara were still keeping to themselves, while the other four continued to talk about various things, the trip, Kokoa's recklessness, and of course their classes. Currently, Kurumu was complaining about a math test that was coming up when she heard the elevator ding. It had been inactive for about thirty minutes since the machine had been touched. Today was a slow day in the hospital, which was surprising considering the violent nature of the students at yokai.

When the elevators door opened, it revealed the girl that they had been waiting on. Exiting the lifting device she strutted towards her friends. At this time Naruto and Gaara both rose from their seats to rejoin the others. They to were interested in hearing the assessment on Kokoa's condition. None of the six could tell whether the news was positive or negative because she had that same stoic expression.

Once she reached her friends she stopped and took her usual stance. Her friends stared at her expectantly, but she did not say a word. For seconds she just stood there as if nothing of importance happened, as if the prior events of the afternoon were irrelevant. Her attitude was irritating Mizore and Kurumu, but they didn't get mad because they knew inner Moka was completely different than her other self. Finally after what seemed like forever, a small smile formed on the vampire's face.

"So…What happened?" Naruto asked.

Yukari on the other hand was a little more anxious. "How is she? Did the doctors say she was going to be alright?"

Moka was slightly taken back by the witch's worrisome tone. She knew they all wanted her sister be alright, but the preteen seemed to be genuinely concerned. Like she would do with her own little sister, she placed her hand on the girls head. "Kokoa is going to be okay Yukari. Other than a few broken bones she's fine. The doctors say she just needs some rest."

Yukari smiled, "That's great!"

"Hmm, she's even tougher than I thought," Mizore stated.

Moka nodded before continuing, "Since Kokoa's body is similar to mine she can heal relatively fast. Nurse Azumi told me that her bones should be back in place in about two weeks. Actually there mending back together as we speak." She remembered when Azumi pulled her to the side to show her Kokoa's x rays. The strange thing was that she had broken her right femur bone and her left tibia. When Moka saw the pictures she was astonished. The bones between her thigh and knee cap were tardily becoming closer. She was aware of Kokoa's recuperative skills but she was a little surprised because Kokoa was nowhere near her full potential. "However she did say that the ribcage will take the longest to reform since it was completely shattered. That will take at least a full month."

Kurumu smirked, "Good news…That brat had me worried there for a second."

Tsukune gave her a warm smile before placing a hand on Moka's shoulder. "I'm glad that your sisters okay."

Inner Moka blushed at the contact. She wasn't use to any one touching her besides her sisters, since everyone else was too scared to even let the thought cross their minds. Getting a hold of herself she coughed. "Me too…"

Everyone's support was very much appreciated; she didn't expect them to care so much after being victims of Kokoa's attacks. Especially Mizore and Kurumu, she thought that they hated her little sister, but there they were with relieved grins on their faces.

Out of all them Gaara was least surprised with the verdict on Kokoa's health. While fighting the dorian he had already ascertained that she had not only a resilient body, but an impressive recovery speed. It had only been minutes after he arrived and she was willing herself to move despite her injuries. Her whole body was trembling, but she should have been completely numb.

Her determination reminded him of someone…

As their new friends continued to talk and socialize among each other, Gaara turned to Naruto. The blonde looked back at him with his piercing blue eyes that lacked their usual liveliness. Simultaneously the boys nodded in understanding before turning to depart. They were hoping that Tsukune and the rest would be too distracted to notice them leave. But in the end it was just wishful thinking.

"Where are you two going?"

Both males stopped abruptly at the sound of Moka's stern voice. Naruto turned to face them nervously, but used his signature foxy grin. "We were heading to my dorm to study. You know there's a test coming up in Ririko sensei's class so we got to prepare."

For a second he thought that she didn't believe him, but then she grinned. "That's interesting…Kurumu and Mizore are having the same problem so we're about to head to Tsukune's dorm for the same thing. Care to join us?"

The jinchuriki looked at her skeptically before turning to glance at Gaara who had a look of indifference. "Well…I don't know…"

"Oh come on," Kurumu interjected. "I insist. This is a good chance for friends to strengthen their bonds and get to know each other better." Placing a hand on her curvy hip she smiled devilishly with narrowed eyes. "What do you say? Naruto…"

Now he was really feeling the pressure. Confused he turned to his friend for answers. "Gaara?"

The red head exhaled while observing the facial expressions of their new friends. Kurumu seemed adamant, she was determined for them to come along. Moka was relaxed, though the intense aura she was emitting told him otherwise. Tsukune seemed calm, but his face held an earnest aspect. When he locked eyes with Yukari he noticed something that made him feel distressed. He recognized that look in her eyes, it was a look he had grown accustom to throughout his young life. It was the look of fear.

She was scared of him and he couldn't blame her, he knew that she was there when he was about to deliver the finishing blow to the King Dorian. She had arrived right when he began to encase the giant monster in his sand and she saw him reduce the monster to nothingness.

But she wasn't the only one who had a problem with him.

Gaara shifted his insomniac eyes to the right of the young witch and his focused gaze found Mizore. Her icy blue eyes stared back at him with an unwavering consistence. Since they left the forest it felt like she had been watching him. It wasn't new since she had been observing him since his first day, but now it seemed different. Instead of interested, she looked annoyed and confused. When they made eye contact after he defeated the monster she stared at him with a slack jaw.

Ever since their assignment in cooking class the two of them didn't really speak. Even after they made their little deal they still decided to keep one another at arm's length. The next day Mizore went back to original seat in the front, while Gaara remained at his desk in the back. Every now and then they would say _'hello'_ or _'farewell' _but that was all. For a moment he thought that she was starting to back off, but after today's events he was afraid they were back at square one.

"Very well… We shall study together…"

Immediately Naruto's eyes widened in horror before he jerked his neck towards his fellow jinchuriki. "WHAT?!"

_He must be out of his mind,_ was what Naruto was thinking. There was no other explanation for his decision. Gaara was supposed to be the smart and reasonable one, but lately the blonde felt like he had been making questionable moves. _First he does an alarming jutsu and now this! _He may not pay attention to detail often, but like his red haired counterpart he was aware of their friends 'curiosity'. There was no doubt this study was just a cover up.

Naruto stared back at Gaara with narrowed eyes hoping that it would change his mind. However in the end he didn't falter_. Damn it Gaara…_

Running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair he sighed. "Fine, let's get this over with."

"Excellent," Moka replied.

"Alright then… I guess you guys should follow me," Tsukune murmured. The brunette headed for the lobby's exit and his friends followed close behind. After walking through the doors they swiftly made there away across campus. The bell for sixth period was going to ring soon and they didn't want everyone watching them. Wherever Moka went the spotlight seemed to find her, whether it was her inner or outer version she was always managed to draw attention, but now was not the time for crazy fan girls or obsessive fan boys.

Reaching the Male dorm building, the group stealthily entered the dormitory. Luckily no one was in the lobby so they were able to walk to the elevator without interruptions. Once inside the lift Tsukune pushed the 6 which was one level below the rooms that Naruto and Gaara resided. When the elevator ding the doors parted and the party of seven got out one by one and walked down the hall. Tsukune stopped at the eighth door and dug deep into his pockets to fish out his keys. When his fingers found the metal device he pulled it out and stuck it in the lock before rotating it counter clock wise and pushing the door open.

With a small creaking the door was ajar. The hybrids room was dark since he had sheets draped over his blinds to keep the sun from shining through the window. Flicking the switch the lights turned on and his room was revealed to foreign eyes.

Over all Tsukune's room was pretty ordinary, minus the video games and anime posters which he added on his own. Like all other rooms he had a small desk that came with a rolling chair. On said desk was an old fashion lamp along with lined paper, pencils, and an electronic sharpener. His bed was twin sized and with plain brown sheets and his dresser was directly across. Of course since the dorm it's self was small the kitchen area was very compact. There was a miniature oven, a square cabinet that had probably held bowls and cereal. Last but not least there was the bathroom, which was only a foot away from the main room.

"It's pretty organized," Naruto commented while sitting on Tsukune's made bed. His dorm was a little bit bigger, but it was nowhere near as clean an organized. There were always clothes scattered all over the floor and cups of ramen along with other dirty dishes filled the sink.

"Thanks," Tsukune said before taking a seat on his desk chair.

Gaara walked to the back of the room and casually leaned against the wall. Moka was still standing by the door. It was as if she was making sure no one tried to escape. Yukari decided to sit on the bed with Naruto, but made sure to create a reasonable distance between them. Kurumu tried to sit on Tsukune's lap, which caused the brunette to blush. Before she could get comfortable, Mizore grabbed the succubus and yanked her off him so that she was standing next to her in front of the boy's dresser.

Once everyone seemed comfortable Moka spoke up, "Now that everyone's situated we can proceed." Her voice lacked emotion, but the vibe in the room was solemn.

Naruto yawned dramatically and stretched his arms. "Well…I left my books in my dorm, so I should probably go-

"That won't be necessary," she interrupted while locking the door behind her.

When she cut him off so suddenly, he decided it was time to drop the act. "I see," he whispered while glaring back at the vampire. He knew what this was about and this was exactly why he didn't want to come. Gaara was just as aware, which why he couldn't understand why he agreed to this. _Well there's no point in dwelling on it now._

Moka continued, "I think you both know why we are here."

Naruto swiftly replied, "We have a general idea."

The vampire gaze continued to shift between both boys. Naruto seemed irritated, while Gaara had seemed relaxed. It was as if they had exchanged roles. _I wonder what's going on in their heads._

"You and your friends must be curious about today's events," Gaara calmly voiced.

Moka nodded, "Yes and since there's no point in dancing around the issue, why don't we cut to the chase?"

"Sounds good to me," Naruto grumbled. _The sooner we get this over with the better._

"First off…" Moka started as her eyes shifted back in forth between the male suspects. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little rattled by the situation, but she had to be strong for her friends. "Who and what are you? Identify yourselves!"

The silence that had enveloped the room was deafening. Naruto and Gaara both were expecting certain questions, but they didn't think she'd be that direct. Naruto was first one to recover from her straight forwardness. "Who are we?" He repeated with a raised brow. "You already know who we are, we're your friends Naruto and Gaara," he chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood. Too bad it didn't work.

"That not what she means Naruto," Kurumu interjected with displeasure.

Naruto shrugged and turned back to Moka, "Well…What exactly are you asking?"

"We want to know if you two are humans…Or are you monsters?" Mizore stated.

This question caused the red head's eyes to open in awareness. "Why do you ask?" Gaara interrupted in his monotone voice. He already had a theory, but he wanted to see if he was correct first.

Moka pushed herself off the door and took a few steps until she was standing in the center of the room. "You guys both smell like humans, but you also have powers which doesn't make sense. Another thing… you both can use your powers without transforming. How is that possible?"

Gaara sighed. _I thought as much. She's even sharper than I believed._

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Well…"

"What's your real reason for being here?" Mizore questioned with a dark look that would send chills down anyone's spine. Instantly her ice shards began to take form on the tip of her hands before they took the shape of ice daggers and her purple hair began to frost. She was taking monster form.

"And why are you both so secretive?" Kurumu inquired as her razor sharp claws shot out of her fingertips. Like an elf her ears became pointed. Sprouting from her back were narrow wings and a long tail emerged from the girl's lower back.

Naruto eyes widened before jumping up and standing on the bed in a defensive stance. He didn't know what was getting them so railed up, but he wasn't going to let himself become a target for their frustration. "Why are you two transforming?"

"Naruto…Gaara…"

Both boys turned focused their attention on Inner Moka who had a hard facial expression. Something was weighing heavy on her mind. The blonde turned to Tsukune who was surprising composed considering his peaceful personality. Yukari on the other hand was sitting on the end of the bed and staring at him with a frown. He hated making kids sad.

_Damn my luck…_

Unlike Naruto, Gaara gaze stayed on the vampire who was basically commanding their attention. The amount of information she knew was a bit startling and he had a feeling the next thing she said was going to make things even more complicated than they already were.

And he couldn't have been more right.

After taking a deep breath she finished her thought, "Tell me... What's that negative energy that I've been sensing?"

Once again the room was engulfed in silence. Both males looked at the girl in awe as they couldn't believe the words that left her mouth. There was no way that she had just asked that question, they must have been hearing things.

"What was that?" Gaara asked with clenched teeth.

"I asked you about the negative energy that's dwelling inside of you. I've been sensing it since the day we met. It's pure evil and darker than anything I have ever felt," she said as she tried to hold back a shiver before turning to her male friend. "Tsukune I know you've sensed it to since you share my blood."

The hybrid nodded with a gloomy face, "Yes, I've sensed it."

Naruto was speechless. _They have been able to sense our tailed beast the whole time? _This was just too much for him to take in such a small amount of time. The whole time he thought they were doing a pretty good job of keeping a low profile. They held back their powers, they blended in, and they even took their school life seriously. In the end, it didn't matter because no matter how careful they were, they were still things they couldn't hide like their scents or their energy. As Shikamaru would say, this was troublesome.

Gaara the cool calm and collective Kazekage was now having an inner struggle. He had agreed to join them for _'studying'_ so he could shed some light on the situation. They had been spending time with Tsukune and his harem for a few weeks and they hadn't really revealed much about themselves. Other than the lie about them being cousins from Japan, they really didn't know anything. Still he didn't want to tell them a lot, just enough to satisfy their curiosity. But now things were different. The vampire knew their secret, which made things even more difficult.

"Negative energy?" Mizore repeated in the form of a question.

"Moka…What are you talking about?" Kurumu asked. The stoic girl was about to respond, but someone beat her to the punch.

"Allow me to explain."

"Gaara don't!" Naruto shrieked. "I know we need to be honest with them, but that part of our life is none of their business!" Usually he didn't mind talking about this, since it had been a reoccurring topic since he was twelve years old, but he didn't feel comfortable telling his new friends. They were from another dimension that had different customs there was no way they'd be able to understand. Explaining that they were from a different time and space was going to complicated enough, so why tell them something so private?

"You're right Naruto," Gaara whispered in his deep voice. "It is none of their business, but we have to tell them truth. We've been keeping secrets from them for a long time. We don't have to tell them everything, but we need to explain enough so they'll have a better understanding of who and what we are."

Naruto grunted in response before grinding his teeth and balling his fists. His blue eyes found the ground which he stared at for a while. _Why do they have to know that? What good will it do? _Were his thoughts. _How does he know that this won't change things?_

"You want them to trust us…If that's going to happen we have to give them a reason to believe."

Those words he spoke got through to the knucklehead. Slowly Naruto lowered his fist and relaxed his body. "Damn you and your logic," he muttered. Somehow he was always able to make him understand and this worked both ways since he was also able to change the red head's mind when it was necessary. They just had that kind of friendship.

Gaara lips twitched up into a small grin, "If it makes you feel any better, you can do the talking."

Naruto shook his head in protest, "No thanks. I'm not good with this kind of thing. You go ahead…I'll follow your lead."

Gaara nodded and then his sea green eyes wondered around the room slowly. Everyone was looking at him in anticipation. Kurumu and Mizore both reverted back to their human forms. Moka watched him attentively. Tsukune showed his interest by leaning forward in his chair, while Yukari sat Indian style on the mattress. She seemed more at ease and he was thankful. Having children look at you with apprehension would make anyone feel bad.

Now that everyone had settled down he could say what needed to be said. This kind of attention use to make him feel uncomfortable, but after giving a speech before the fourth great ninja war, this seemed rather easy. The stoic male took a deep breath before proceeding.

"The first thing you should all know is that we are humans…Humans from another world."

**To be continued…**

**Well that's it for chapter 8. I have a feeling that this chapter isn't going to be as liked as the last and if so that's understandable. Honestly I liked the first half of this chapter a lot more than the second. The end result of the scuffle with the dorian was predetermined so there were no surprises there. So all together it's a decent chapter in my opinion. At least we got to the part that everyone's been waiting for. Naruto and Gaara are finally about to reveal who they really are. So that should be enjoyable. The Rosario characters reaction to this should also be interesting.**

**I'm aiming to update by the end of June or the beginning of July but who knows? Also for those of you who are fans of Dragon Ball Z, I have a new fanfiction that I posted two months ago called Taken. It's Future Trunks X Android 18. I won't go into detail but if the pairing sounds interesting give it a read. Well please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.**

**Till next time see ya! Toto out! ;)**


	9. Chapter 9: Revelations

Long time no see everyone. This time I have no excuses to offer for having this chapter up so late. Nine months it took me to update this and during that time I received reviews and messages from many of you asking about the story's status. I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long, yes there was some laziness that prevented me from working on this but the main reason was I got into another manga/anime series.

During the summer, a college friend of mine introduced me to the series Attack on Titan. I'm sure some of you are fans. To be honest I was a little skeptical at first, but she insisted that I give it a shot. So I did and I was freaking blown away. After the first episode I became addicted, once I had watched all the episodes, I went on to read the manga chapters and fell even deeper into the series. My favorite character is Armin Arlert; I don't care what anyone says he's dope. People like to poke fun at him because he's physically weak, but what people don't seem to realize is that he's a genius and a great manipulator. Oh yeah I posted an Armin X Annie one shot a month ago. So if anyone's interested in the series or the pairing please give it a read. At the moment I am planning the sequel while balancing this story and another.

Well I'm getting off topic, so I'll stop there for now. Getting back to Jinchuriki Bonds, again I apologize. Before we get to the chapter at hand I'd like to say that I did work hard on this for you guys so I really do hope you like it. Chapter 9 isn't going to be what you expected, It's only 6,553 words which is a little bit compared to the 13,000 word chapters I usually write for this fic, but there's going to be a nice author's note at the end of the chapter with some good news so stay tuned.

Okay now I'm done. Onto the chap!

Read & Review!

**Chapter 9: Revelations**

"Report!" Were the demanding words of an irritated young woman. The whole day had been uneventful, they hadn't made any progress in their search and it was really starting to bother her. For the last few weeks she had been stressed to the max and things weren't getting any better. There was too much going on at the moment; she and the rest of the ninja world were still dealing with the aftermath of the Fourth shinobi war. The losses they had suffered were heavy and since all the nations were still recovering there resources were limited.

Currently the blonde was sitting behind a desk in the Kazekage's office. Impatiently she tapped her fingers on the wooden table as she stared tiredly at the shinobi before her. If she had to guess she'd say he was a few years younger than she was. He was obviously a genin or beginning chunin, she could tell that much from his awkward posture and nervous sweating. _Am I really that intimidating?_ She wondered.

When he didn't show any signs of answering she sighed. "Sometime today please."

Gulping, the ninja fixed his stance and bowed respectfully. "L-Lady Temari, I am reluctant to report that we didn't find anything useful during our expedition."

"Nothing?" she repeated with a raised brow. "Didn't the Raikage deploy some of his shinobi to assist you with the search?"

The inexperienced ninja could hear the irritation in her voice and was hesitant about continuing, but he did nonetheless. "Y-Yes he did and while they were helpful we still couldn't find any traces of Lord Kazekage or Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha. We looked all along the borders of the Land of lightning yet there was nothing to be found. We even deployed one of our units to explore the Land of frost and the Lands of Hot water but we still came up empty handed."

Temari banged her fist hard on the desk leaving a noticeable dent. "Damn it! We've been searching constantly for the past month and still no traces of them!"

Things were not looking good. Suna had been without it's Kazekage for over a month now and the village is in desperate need of his presence. The feudal lord of the wind country was absolutely useless. There was no wonder that Suna was considered to be the weakest village of the five great nations. All the man did was make excuses for his incompetence. The country was short on food as well as other supplies. The only people who didn't have to worry about gathering provisions were the wealthy.

Then there was also the matter of military force. The aftermath of the war was the loss of thousands of shinobi from each nation. Then there were the injured, those who hadn't perished were being tended to in hospitals.

One good thing she was able to take away from all this chaos was peace. Ever since the war began and ceased, the five great nations have stayed united as one.

During this time the Tsuchikage had discharged several units of his ANBU black ops to aid in the search for her younger brother and Naruto. The ANBU were usually preserved for assassination and torture missions, but Onoki insisted that this was a special case. Currently his ninja were searching the Mountain's Graveyard which was the Akatsuki's former hideout.

The Mizukage had also been of great help. While she hadn't sent any of her reinforcements to help with the search, she did send a few advanced medical ninja to help heal the wounded. Fortunately Kirigakure had suffered the least amount of losses so they were capable of lending a few helping hands. Mei Terumi had also been writing Temari constantly asking for updates on the village's status as well the whereabouts of Gaara.

Of course the Hokage had done her share as well. After all her surrogate grandson was also missing and she was obviously worried sick about the knucklehead. For the past month she had been keeping in contact with Temari faithfully. Shikamaru, Sakura, and Kakashi had been visiting frequently to give updates as well as a few other Konoha shinobi she was familiar with. Lady Tsunade had also been dispatching her shinobi, only difference was instead of sending out a few units of shinobi, she deployed large divisions for this search. Going to such extremes wasn't uncharacteristic for the busty Hokage, when things were serious she didn't waste time procrastinating.

At last the five great nations had been truly united for the first time in history. It was truly sad that two of the young men responsible for this were missing in action. The words her little brother spoke before the start of the war began to echo in her head.

**"There are no enemies here, because we have all suffered at the hands of the Akatsuki! So there is no Sand, no Stone, no Leaf, no Mist and no Cloud!"**

**_"There are only shinobi!"_**

A small smile surfaced on the wind mistress's face. _If only you were here now Gaara to see what you help create._

"Um… Lady Temari?"

"Huh?" Temari snapped out of her thought's to see the messenger shinobi staring at her confusedly.

"Are you alright? You seem to have spaced out for a moment."

Shaking her head calmly her usual prudent demeanor returned. Coughing she cleared her throat. "Forget it it's nothing. Anyways is there anything else you have to share?"

Her sudden inquiry caught the young man off guard. His body language changed instead of being formal and a little timid, he seemed thoughtful and uncomfortable. Now he was finding his feet to be very interesting.

Being the perceptive women that she was Temari was immediately able to catch on. "If you have important information to contribute I suggest you spit it out. Withholding info can hinder the little progress the alliance has made so far. Don't worry… I won't berate you no matter how ridiculous you think it may be."

Surprisingly enough her words did ease his mind. He didn't feel that much more confident, but at least he regained some of his comfort. "Alright," he started while making eye contact with her once again. "A week ago, a sub-division that I was placed in found some shinobi corpses in a forest north of the border of Lightning."

"What were you doing north of the border?" Temari asked. As far as she knew there were no battles that took place in that region. As a matter a fact, if they had went north of the border that was almost five miles away from the battle zone.

"Originally we hadn't planned on going there since the Raikage's orders were to stay within the borders. The commander of our group and a few other higher ranking shinobi suggested that we continue forward, which I thought was strange."

Temari nodded her agreement. "That is strange, to completely disregard the Raikage's orders without fear of the consequences. Do you know the name of your commander?"

The messenger shinobi furrowed his brows as he tried to recall the man's name but seemed to have a little bit of trouble. After a few seconds of thought the name began to return to him. "If I remember correctly… His name was Hitoshi… He's a cloud ninja my lady."

Temari's green eyes became focused. "Hitoshi huh…? I'll be sure to remember that name." there was something terribly wrong with this situation and she was glad that it was brought to her attention. For now there wasn't much she could do, because to anyone else this was irrelevant information, but for her it was a start. "Tell me how many corpses were found as well as the villages they belonged to?"

The messenger nodded and continued on. "There were five corpses found in total. Three of them were Sand shinobi while the other two belonged to the Leaf."

"You mean to tell me that only five ordinary ninja were placed in one unit during the biggest war in the history of the shinobi world?!"

This news disturbed her. Initially she expected to hear about some strange footprints or something along those lines. _Why was there a unit that far out from the border? Who ordered them to go out there at such a crucial time? Things weren't adding up at all. Why were there only Suna and Konoha shinobi? _She found that awfully suspicious.

The young man noticed that Temari was thinking hard about the info she had just received, but there still more he had to tell her. "Actually my lady, that isn't the most shocking thing I have to tell you."

Temari's eyes narrowed with apprehension. "What else is there?" she asked fearfully. Truthfully she didn't want to know so she could avoid the additional stress, but since she was in charge until her brother was found she had no choice. She had to know.

With an intense look in his eyes he said, "On the faces of the dead shinobi we found masks. ANBU masks to be precise."

Almost instantly Temari's jaw dropped. "ANBU masks?" she repeated. Right now she was fighting the urge to jump out of her seat. Good thing she was pretty good at keeping her composure. She had to remain professional regardless of the circumstances.

"Yes, I'm actually surprised that you haven't received a report about this sooner Lady Temari. Hitoshi said that he would talk to the Raikage and I assumed that he would then in turn fill you in…"

The blonde girl shook her head while biting the tip of her thumb. "No…I didn't receive any message of the sort." She was going to have to set up a meeting with the council as well as Kankuro and Baki.

All shinobi, new or old were aware of the basic rules during the war. ANBU masks were strictly prohibited. Gaara and the rest of the Kage had decided on this during a meeting they had a few days before the start of the war. The premise of the rule was to establish trust within the countries. In a normal war it didn't matter if one decided to wear there ANBU material, however this time was different. Finally after generations of war among each other, the five great nations had banded together to take on one common enemy.

There were to be no secrets or disguises among comrades, yet there some who didn't follow that rule.

There was something fishy going on and Temari didn't like it. Someone or maybe some people were making decisions behind the backs of the alliance. For some odd reason she had a feeling that this case was somehow connected to the disappearance of her brother and Naruto. Tightening her fists with vigor and she grinned like the sadist she was.

"Now we are getting somewhere," she said with satisfaction laced in her voice.

"Huh?"

Ignoring the perplexing look on his face she stood up and walked around her brother's desk to stand face to face with the young male. "State your name," she demanded.

"Ryo," he bowed respectively.

Temari smirked, "Well Ryo, for now on you will be reporting directly to me on all your findings. I will also be giving you missions until this whole thing is straightened out." The wind mistress had a few plans to get to the bottom of this 'predicament.'

Ryo stared back, completely astonished with the words that had left the woman's mouth. "I-I don't mean to come off as ungrateful my lady, but why me? There are much more talented shinobi to pick from in our village. I mean I myself only became a chunin a few months ago."

_I knew it._

Ticking her tongue in disagreement Temari replied. "Special skills aren't required for this job. What I need is someone I can trust and has an eye for detail. You seem like a trust worthy guy who believes in justice which makes you perfect for this assignment. So Ryo… are you up for the job?" she asked with the most charming smile she could muster.

He stood there silently while he gazed back at her. His heart felt like it was beating excessively. He didn't know rather he should be happy or nervous that the Kazekage's sister would put her faith in a guy like him. Well he knew one thing for sure. There was no way he was going to turn down such an offer.

"I would be honored, Lady Temari…"

Temari chuckled, "Good to hear," she replied before making her way back around the desk. Still grinning the sandy blonde sat down in her desk. Calmly she placed her elbows on the table before intertwining her fingers and leaning forward. "There are some rats within the alliance. I'm going to need your help to flush them out!" she exclaimed.

Ryo's eyes popped in shock of her declaration. "You think there are traitors among us?"

Temari nodded, "Correct."

"And you want me to help you find them?" he asked

"Precisely"

"And you are basing your course of action on the information that I had just given you?"

"That's right, but I'm also following my gut instincts and they haven't failed me yet," she replied casually. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that there were traitors among them. The only problem was that now that she knew this she had to limit herself to the amount of people she could talk to about business concerning the village as well as the alliance. "Anyways I have another question for you. Who in the village do you trust the most?"

Unlike her other question this one was fairly easy, it didn't take much thought for him to give an answer.

"Maki," he smiled.

Temari's interest was roused after hearing the name_. Maki… That name sounds familiar. As a matter of fact she participated in our mission to rescue Gaara during his capture. If I remember correctly she was a student of Pakura while she was still alive. From what I heard she did a superb job on the sealing team. _She had only talked to the girl a few times but she seemed to be trustworthy. The blonde looked back at Ryo to see that he was now lost in thought himself. He had this silly smile on this face and a tinted blush on his cheeks. _Oh I see so he has a thing for her? Well I guess I'll be doing him a favor then._

Nodding Temari continued her briefing, "Very well, tomorrow morning I want the two of you to depart for the Land of lightning. Your expedition will take place north of the border. Your mission will be to look for clues that relate to what you found last time. I have a feeling that those corpses are connected to my brother's disappearance."

"B-But my lady," he hesitated while looking at her questionably. "Won't we be trespassing if we go without permission from the Raikage?"

Temari waved carelessly, "Don't worry about that, I'll have everything taken care of before you get there. Anyways that's all for now, you're dismissed."

Ryo bowed respectively before turning to leave. On the outside he seemed to be calm and complacent but on the inside he was beyond excited. He was going to finally be paired with Maki his crush. The best part was that they were going to be all alone. It was almost too good to be true.

"Oh yeah I almost forgot"

He was about to open the door and exit when he heard the mistresses voice. Reluctantly he loosened his grip on the knob and turned back to face the proud woman that he had come to respect and admire of the years. "Yes Lady Temari."

"You will be having company."

The blonde looked back at him with a stone face. "Matsuri, Sari, Yukata, and Ittetsu will also be tagging along. This is considered to be an A rank mission, it's far too dangerous for you two to go alone."

As soon as those words left her mouth Ryo wanted to scream his disapproval but opted not to since he valued his life dearly. Instead he decided to take a more gentle approach to change her mind. He knew it would be difficult, but he had to try. This might be his only chance to be alone with Maki. "That won't be necessary my lady, I'm sure Maki and I can manage."

"I don't remember asking you for your opinion… It's an order so follow it obediently!" She growled which caused the young man to bristle.

Noticing his sudden change in demeanor she quickly relaxed herself. The last thing she needed was to lose control of her emotions at such a time. "I apologize for lashing out at you Ryo."

"No it's okay I understand. I was out of line," he replied.

Temari sighed, "Trust me Ryo this is for the best. If you two go out there alone there's a possibility you will be ambushed, that being said it's best to increase your numbers."

"Of course," he replied respectively. Still there was something bothering him. Why did she pick those four to go with them? Surely she could have thought of more capable shinobi to assist them on this mission. The four she mentioned were good, but they weren't really skilled enough to be considered reinforcements. Regardless he would follow his orders without complaint. "Thank you Lady Temari, if that is all I will take my leave."

He had made his way to the door and had it half way open when she called out to him one last time.

"Ryo"

Said male turned his head to spare the woman a glance.

"For the next couple of weeks I'll make sure that you and Maki spend plenty of time together on missions. That's a promise," she smirked knowingly. The boy blushed heavily before quickly making his long awaited exit.

As soon as the door shut Temari hunched over the table and took a deep exhale. It had been a long day and it still wasn't over. There was much to do and with this new development her workload just increased even more. Right now the shinobi world was temporarily at peace, but the nations were still scrambling for several reasons. Obviously the absence of Gaara and Naruto was having a negative effect on morale. Yet there was nothing that could really be done in a situation like this.

As a temporary leader of a village there was only so much she could do. She was barely getting used to the role and she was the best person for the job because of her high level of intelligence and strength. "Why me…?" she grumbled in a muffled voice.

Complicated, yeah that was a good word to describe how things had been for her lately. Never did she imagine that Gaara had it this rough. A pile of paper work, making plans, annoying council meetings, all of it was a major pain in her ass. _To think I actually thought being a Kage would be a cool job, but now I see the awful truth…_

"Because you're the only one who qualifies genius," said an irritatingly familiar voice from behind her.

Temari sighed before spinning around in her chair to address the new arrival. "Kankuro, I had a feeling you were ear hustling," she stated while observing her younger brother who was perched on the window seal of the Kazekage office. Per normal he wore his usual black outfit, only this time he didn't have the hood on or the face paint. That was a bad sign. Whenever Kankuro wasn't wearing his face paint it usually meant that he had been slacking off and neglecting his duties. "So brother," she started dangerously. "I hope you've been being productive lately. If not I might have to send you flying across the village."

For a moment the brunette sweat dropped before chuckling and hopping of the seal. Yawning, he walked around to the front of her desk. "No need to get violent Temari. For your information I have been pretty damn busy myself."

Temari looked at him questionably. "Busy doing what?"

"I'll tell you about it in a minute, but first I want to talk about the conversation you just had with that chunin," he remarked.

Rubbing her forehead, she went back to burying her head in documents. "What about it?" She asked as she started to read over the mission list that she had created. It was good that she had a talent for multi-tasking or she might have accidently given an A rank mission to a genin.

"You aren't seriously going to send that group out on their own are you? Because if your suspicions are correct than there's a good chance there going to get themselves killed out there."

Temari didn't answer immediately as her eyes were still glued to the paper in front of her. The woman hummed to herself while casually tapping her fingers on her desk. "Well…This is the job they chose so it can't be helped."

Kankuro's eye's bulged. "Are you being serious right now?" He knew his sister could be heartless at times, hell all three of them rarely showed mercy or sympathy when it came to their jobs as shinobi but this was just absurd. She was practically sending them to their deaths.

"Couldn't be more serious. Death is expected in this line of work, I'd thought you'd understand this better than anyone," she stated carelessly while writing her signature down on the finished document. Temari was so engrossed in her work that she didn't snap out of it till her younger brother slammed his hands down on the desk.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he shouted with fury.

Not intimidated in the slightest, she glared back at him intensely. Slowly she started to reach for her battle fan which was positioned only a few feet away and Kankuro mimicked these actions by starting to unravel his crow puppet. The tension in the room was nothing to laugh about. Two siblings at war was actually the furthest thing from humor, especially when they are both highly ranked jonin. Over the years they had fought countlessly and Temari would usually emerge the victor.

However things were different now, Kankuro had gotten stronger and wiser with age. Ever since his near death battle with Sasori he had become sharper and more careful. No longer did he fall for her playful taunts and tricks. She was smarter than him that much was obvious, but he was a crafty engineer with critical field vision. He also had more puppets at his disposal, including Sasori's puppet body. Beating him wouldn't be as easy as it was when they were still kids.

"You sure you want to challenge me?" she asked in a low voice that was filled with warning. Her hand was now placed firmly at the top of her large fan.

Pulling over his hood, the puppet master placed his bandaged crow on the floor with a dull thud. "Couldn't be surer," he replied confidently.

They stared each other down for a while without even moving an inch. The way things were looking, they were about to turn their little brother's office into a construction site. Just when it looked like all hell was going to break lose something weird happened. Temari erupted with uncontrollable laughter. Hunching over her desk she began to pound the wood violently with her fist as she continued to laugh her ass off.

Kankuro could only watch the skeptical with irritation. _What the hell is she laughing about? _He wondered while glaring at his older sister. Quietly he continued to watch her as tears were starting to roll down her cheeks. Eventually the puppet master became fed up with her behavior. _Enough is enough_.

"Why the fuck are you laughing?" he yelled.

Finally after about a minute of chuckling in hysterics Temari wiped a tear from her eyes and sighed peacefully. "Ah, I really needed that," she said before glancing up at Kankuro who was boiling with anger. "Sorry about that, I've just been so stressed out lately and I needed a laugh so I baited you into a fight. You just looked so damn serious that I couldn't control myself," she giggled but covered her mouth so she wouldn't burst into another fit of laughter. "Come on Kankuro, did you really think I was going to send those six inexperienced shinobi out on their own?!"

"My god you're immature," he muttered under his breath but Temari still caught wind of his rude remark.

Immediately her facial expression went from joyful to pissed off bitch mode. Incredulously she gaped, "I'm immature, are you freaking kidding me?" she asked with an intense glare. Abruptly she stood up and leaned over the table so their faces were only inches apart. "I can count on one hand, how many times I've screwed with you. You on the other hand annoy me on a regular basis, hell I can't even begin to estimate how many times you pulled pranks on me. You stupid jackass!" she shouted which caused the brunette to sweat drop and take a few steps back.

She was right and he knew it. From the time they could walk he'd constantly do things to bug her to no end. From whoopee cushions to drawing mustaches on her face while she was sleeping, he did it all. In the end all of his pranks and jokes ended with him getting a black eye and busted lip courtesy of the eldest sand sibling. Deflating, he raised his hands submissively. "You're right Temari, I am always messing with you and for that I'm sorry. Maybe I should start taking things more seriously."

Visually the blondes face relaxed and she slowly eased back into her chair. "It's okay," she grinned. "I was also out of line I shouldn't get too worked up I suppose." She had been on edge lately and she needed a way to release all her stress and frustration. Still that didn't excuse her of her actions. Other than Gaara, she was the most level headed ninja in the sand village. Ninety percent of the time her emotions were always under control. However her clown of a brother was the only one who could make her loose her temper.

"I understand," he smiled while shoving his hands in his pockets. "You've been under a lot of pressure lately and I'm sure I haven't been much help. But tell me, who are you going to have command your group tomorrow?"

"I'm glad you asked," she smirked.

"Temari…" Suddenly Kankuro started to feel uncomfortable. He didn't like where this conversation was going and that look on her face screamed mischief. _Shit!_

"That's right little brother… You will be accompanying them to the Land of lightning."

Kankuro shook his head disapprovingly. "Hell no, fuck that I'm not going to baby sit those runts."

Still smirking, Temari raised a brow. "What's wrong Kankuro? Only a few moments ago were you bitching about me sending them out without protection. I thought you'd be happy with this arrangement."

"Well yeah that's because I didn't want them to die an unnecessary death! That doesn't mean I wanted to volunteer for this shit!" He all but yelled. Now he knew what she was doing. She was getting her revenge for all the stupid things he did over the years. His childish pranks, scaring off her dates, and goofing off was all being paid back with one stupid mission. _She thinks she so clever, well I'm not going down without a fight. _"Look I'm not going and there's nothing you can say to change my mind."

Temari frowned at his words but her emerald eyes appeared sincere. "Please Kankuro. You just got done listening to the conversation I had with Ryo, so you know what's going on. There are traitors among us so there aren't many people I can trust right now."

He sighed, "Okay I get that, but if that's the case than why not send Baki? He's way more reliable than me anyway."

"It's true that Baki is a lot more reliable not to mention responsible, however at the moment I need him here."

"Why?" he asked.

The older sibling shook her head and ticked her tongue. "I can't believe I have to explain this to you." Annoyed she ran a hand through her thick blond hair. In an instant she removed all four of the bands that held up her pony tails and her long hair came flowing down her back and shoulders. She was ready to call it a day, all she needed to do was go back home and write a few letters which would only take her about ten minutes. Once she was done with that she would finally be able to get some well-deserved rest. "The reason I'm keeping Baki behind is because he has the greatest military mind in our village. Yes we sand siblings have a great deal of experience for our age considering we were at a jonin level when we were barely even teenagers. Nonetheless, he now has two wars underneath his belt as well as ANBU experience. If the village is under attack we are going to need his strategic skills."

Kankuro grunted with frustration but did not refute her. He knew what she was saying was true and also very logical, but still he didn't want to leave the village. His hesitance didn't come from laziness. Just like his sister he was suspicious of the things going on in Suna and wanted to stick around if anything went wrong. "But why me?"

"It's because you're a dependable ninja when it comes to protecting your comrades," she replied solemnly without making eye contact with her brother. She rarely gave him compliments so felt a little strange doing it now. "Any other experienced Sand shinobi would let them perish if it came down to their safety and completing the mission. With you in command I now you'll watch them carefully."

The puppet master couldn't help but smile at his sister's words. Temari was always constantly praising Gaara which was understandable since he had accomplished a lot. He went from being a lonely sociopathic killer to a proud and righteous leader with countless admirers. He was also proud of his little brother and he always let him know that, but this was the first time his sister ever acknowledged his skills as a leader.

"Enough flattery Temari, it doesn't suit you," he smirked. Grabbing crow he quickly raveled it up in seconds before strapping it back on to his person. Taking his hood off, he made eye contact with her. "I'll do it."

The wind mistress emerald eyes sparkled in delight, "Thanks brother I appreciate this and I promise I'll return the favor. Your team will be leaving at dawn tomorrow, so be at the gate at least an hour before then."

"Gotcha," Kankuro grumbled in mock salute. He actually had a date tonight, but it looked like he was going to have to cancel if he wanted to get enough sleep to be ready for this mission. _Oh well,_ he thought while heading for the window. He placed his foot on the seal and was ready to exit when he remembered something. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you about my findings."

Temari swiveled around in her office chair to face her departing brother. With interest she asked, "What do you have?"

Removing his foot from the ledge of the window he turned around to face her, "You remember Masanori right?"

The blonde nodded, "Of course. He was the one of the first people to teach you about puppet master jutsu. He was also one of the few people who treated Gaara like he was a human being when he was a child. What about him?"

"Well during the war, he vanished without a trace," he replied.

Temari shrugged, "Well that probably means he was killed in battle. Nothing suspicious there." In reality she didn't really care for Masanori. Ever since she was a little girl there was something about him that unnerved her. Though he seemed polite and caring there were times that she would catch him looking at Gaara with disdain. To her he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Let me finish," he admonished her sternly. "Masanori was placed in the first division under Darui. There was a small number of sand ninja placed in that unit, so he obviously stood out."

Temari groaned, "Can't you just get to the point."

"I will if you can shut up for two seconds!"

"Sorry"

"Forget it," he said before rolling his eyes. "Anyways when Obito Uchiha appeared to wreak havoc on the coast he was there fighting the white Zetsu army." Kankuro paused expecting his sister to interrupt him again but was happy to see her waiting patiently for him to continue. "His sudden disappearance sparked my interest. Like you, I thought he may have just perished in battle, but I had this nagging feeling that it was something else. So I investigated."

"And you found?' she questioned.

He smirked perversely, "I found a cute little sand ninja named Amaya who had been fighting alongside him. She said he had started acting strange once the enemy had been defeated by Darui and the InoShikaCho trio. Though everything was settled he was paranoid. Once they got back to the camp she looked for him and he was nowhere to be found. No one had seen or heard him from after that."

"So that's how it is?" she growled through clenched teeth. Suddenly she cocked back her leg and kicked a hole into her baby brother's desk.

Frightened by her random mood swing, Kankuro jumped back. "What the hell! Temari what's gotten into you?!"

"That bastard," she seethed. The anxiety within her was starting to become too much to contain. All of her emotions were on the verge of coming forth. "He's responsible for Gaara's disappearance!"

The brunette eyes widened in shock. "Are you sure of this?" He was having a hard time believing such a thing. If anything it sounded outright absurd. The man had been so friendly to him that it was actually hard to believe. But then again his sister was rarely wrong when it came to things like this.

"I'm fucking positive Kankuro! That man always hated our little brother. He just acted like he cared so he could get Gaara to drop his guard around him."

Suddenly the puppet master had a realization. "Wasn't Gaara responsible for the death of his baby brother Kazuki?"

"Exactly!" Temari exclaimed. It had been a long time since she had gotten this worked up about something. Even Kankuro couldn't piss her off this much and he was very talented in the field. "Still even before then, he could barely tolerate being in the same presence as him, he was just like all the other villagers. The death of Kazuki just pushed him over the edge. He masked his true feelings well but I could always see through him."

Kankuro shook his head in disbelief as he tried to process this information. Not only was Masanori a liar but he had been after vengeance all along. If he really thought about it, he should have seen this sooner. Ever since the preparations for the war began he had been missing at the council meetings. He may have been young compared to all the other geezers on the council, but that didn't mean he was any less important.

"I-I should have killed him a long time ago…"

Sighing, the young man placed a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. "No," he disagreed gravely. "If you did that you would be punished despite your speculation and reason."

A small tear started to roll down Temari's cheek as her body began to shake convulsively. Her tough exterior was finally melting away. "B-But…If… I did…G-Gaara would…S-Still be here!" she cried. The wind mistress broke down and began to weep.

Without a doubt she was one of the toughest and strongest women in the shinobi world. One could argue she was only a few jutsu away from being on the level of a Kage. Her taijutsu had also come a long way. Despite all of these facts, Temari of Sunagakure was still a woman with emotions. At long last the three of them had built a solid relationship as siblings and Gaara had finally gained acceptance and then _this _happens.

This caused Kankuro to do something that was completely out of the norm for a guy like him. Kneeling down, he gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Placing one hand on her head he gently stroked her hair. If he had to guess he got this soft side from his mother. "Shhh…I know you're in pain right now, but I'm here and always will be," he whispered soothingly. The way she was shaking in his arms made him feel a pain within his chest. Never in his life had he seen her so vulnerable. "Gaara is out there somewhere and he's alive. Our little brother is the Kazekage of the Sand and one of the most powerful shinobi on the planet. Do you really think someone like Masanori can harm him?" he asked with a smile.

"No… but-

"Hey!" he interrupted sharply. "I don't want to hear about any butts…Unless we're talking about the Mizukage's of course."

Temari couldn't help but laugh in between sobs. "You're such a freaking perv…"

"I know," he murmured contently as his prideful sister started to relax in his embrace.

"Kankuro…Do you really think… he's okay?"

Kankuro smirked with unbridled confidence, "No, I know he's okay. Besides he's got Naruto with him and he shares an even stronger bond with Gaara than we do and we're his siblings. Those two will look after each other, of that I have no doubt. He'll return to us I promise"

After a few minutes had passed, Temari had finally calmed down. _Who knew that he could be so caring? _she thought to herself. The truth was she hadn't cried like that since her mother died. "Thank you brother, this means a lot to me."

Kankuro shrugged, "Don't mention it."

As he continued to hold her, his bleak eyes traveled to the open window of the office. Gazing out into the blazing sun that was setting over the village he began to think.

_Gaara…I know you're out there somewhere. I don't know what kind of situation you've got yourself into but I hope you are okay. You've never been away from Suna this long and right now the village needs you more than ever. Temari is worried sick about you and so am I._

_I promised her that you would return to us, so don't make me a liar in front of our doting big sister. Come back home soon little brother, your presence is missed dearly…_

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued…<strong>

**That was a nice heartwarming ending between siblings. I hope you all enjoyed it though the chapter was revolved around the Narutoverse, but we will be jumping back into the Rosario + Vampire World next chapter which is sooner than you think. Remember in the author note at the beginning of the chap I said I had a surprise? Well I do and it's a double update for the month of February! Originally this chapter had reached over 17,000 words and I was planning on posting it just like that, but I thought it would be smarter to do it this way. It wasn't supposed to be that long in the first place! I just kept writing and writing and things got out of hand lol. At any rate, chapter 10 is a little over 10, 000 words (Which is the new average chapter length I am aiming for) and it will be posted sometime next week.**

**While I have you I'm going to explain a few things to you readers. Since the start of this story I think a lot of you have been under the impression that Naruto is the first protagonist and Gaara is the second, but in actuality it's the other way around. When I first decided to write this fic, Gaara was going to travel to the Rosario Verse solo. I had wanted to do a fic about Gaara since he hardly gets any love in crossovers and he still has plenty of character growth in my opinion, while Naruto doesn't but that's just my two cents on the matter. Don't fret both characters will get equal treatment. (I'm not one of those author's who play's favorites...)**

**I don't want to go on a rant here, but why in the hell is Naruto always the only one who is crossing over to another world? I mean we all love Naruto and I get that he's the main character, but come on he's overused. Whenever I read a Naruto crossover I see Naruto going to these following series. Bleach, One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, Dragon ball Z etc. And it doesn't matter which one because he always has his own harem and god like powers. Everyone is free to write what they want I'm just curious is all. Is it because he had a bad childhood that fans think he should be rewarded with beautiful girls and divine abilities, because if we use that logic than Gaara, Sasuke, Itachi, and Neji should also be given harems. Right?**

**Sorry I've been stressed out a little bit lately and needed to vent. I hope I didn't offend anyone and if I did I'm too tired to care right now.**

**When I read ****_Naruto and Gaara at the monster academy_**** I was very disappointed, so I thought maybe I can do a better job with the same characters and it was perfect since Naruto happens to be my second fav character. He is after the Kazekage of course. I mean no disrespect to the author because I'm not the kind of guy who trashes other people's work but I just think he could have been a little more descriptive and original.**

**Again no disrespect.**

**There's probably some stuff I forgot to mention, but its 5 o clock in the morning and I haven't slept in two days so I'm going to catch up on some sleep since spring semester starts on Wednesday.**

**Till next time! Toto out ;)**


	10. Chapter 10: Explanations

Here is chapter 10, only a week later as promised. I already know there are going to be a few of you, who are going to have some negative things to say about this one and that's fine. I just ask that you be honest and respectful during your review. Myself on the other hand, I had a lot of fun writing this so hopefully most of you will like it. I'm sure some of you have noticed that my writing style differs from other author's. I tend to use English and Japanese translations when it comes to Naruto terminology, because I am a fan of both and I can be really indecisive when it comes to things like that so I just wanted to throw that out there.

Last chapter there were a few of you who were upset that I didn't continue on from chapter 8 with the cliffhanger. Some of you even said you didn't see the importance of the chapter, but truthfully chapter 9 was almost as important as chapter 10. The reason it was so relevant was because of the discoveries. Chapter 1 and 2 I posted almost two years ago (Oh yeah this fic is 2 years old now. Damn I just noticed lol.) So if you forgot what happened you might want to take a peek to refresh your memory.

The title was called revelations for a reason; it was a chapter of very important discoveries. Within the alliance Temari discovered possible treason, while also coming closer to finding the whereabouts of Gaara and Naruto, which happens to matter a lot since the alliance really needs them.

Well you guys have been waiting patiently for this. The long awaited chapter. Enjoy!

Read & Review!

**Chapter 10: Explanations**

"Shinobi?" Yukari repeated with interest as she sat up on Tsukune's bed with her legs crossed and her witch hat placed in her lap.

"It's another word for ninja," Naruto explained.

Naruto and Gaara were just in the middle of explaining their occupation to their curious friends. So far they defined their missions and ranking system, they talked about the role of a Kage, but Gaara didn't mention that he happened to be one. That would just complicate things and the last thing he needed was for anyone to look at him differently because of his status as a village leader.

The atmosphere was now relaxed, all the tension that was there before had completely dissipated. Moka, Kurumu, and Mizore had all calmed down. With no more hostility, the seven of them were able to talk in a civilized manner.

"So you're mercenaries for hire?" Moka asked glaringly. She had seen ninja before when she use to live with her father in Japan. Many people wanted him dead since he was a powerful and well respected vampire. With that being said, there were organizations who would hire these ninja to attack the Shuzen estate. They were gifted agents who specialized in stealth, espionage, and assassination. They were truly talented killers but none of them were a match for her father. Even in their monster forms they couldn't hold a candle to any of the vampires under his command let alone himself. "We have ninja in this dimension as well you know? What makes you different?"

Gaara nodded, "Yes we are aware of this. I actually went to the library not too long ago to conduct some research." Though he and Naruto had been busy since they arrived that wasn't going to stop them from learning about this unfamiliar world they fell into. The red head new better than anyone that it is foolish to stay ignorant when you're out of your element. "Naruto even rented some movies for us to watch."

Kurumu lifted a brow as she addressed Naruto, "Really?" she asked with a sideways glance.

"Yeah," Naruto grinned as he made himself comfortable on Tsukune's bed. Casually he eased back against the wall while placing his hands behind his head. Despite the annoying situation they were in he was actually feeling alright. He had taken three showers to wash off the smell of being inside a Dorian's stomach before going to the infirmary with the others, so he was feeling refreshed. "Before now I didn't even know libraries rented out movies. We didn't have much else to do last weekend so I figured why not? So we watched _Attack of the Ninjas,_ _Invisible Assassins,_ and _The art of Killing._" The blonde shrugged carelessly. "They were alright movies, but if the ninja of this world are that limited I'm really disappointed."

"What are you saying?" Mizore asked.

"He means that the ninja of this time can't even begin to compare to the shinobi of our dimension," Gaara answered solemnly. He didn't want to come off as cocky but he wanted to be honest with them. That is what they asked for after all.

Tsukune scratched the back of his head confusedly, "Alright… but this still doesn't make sense. How are you two able to do the things you do? We've seen plenty of crazy things at this school, but nothing like what you've done."

Though the two were trying their best to explain things, it seemed that it wasn't enough. Before the conversation had even begun, Naruto and Gaara decided to filter the information given. Without exchanging words they knew that to say and what not say, it was an unspoken agreement between them. If they explained one thing they would do it in limited detail. Second rule was they would always consult with each other before revealing anything, out of respect for each other's privacy.

Last but not least the most important rule of all. Do not talk about their childhood. There were a lot of painful things that happened in the past and they preferred that it stayed that way. Even among their own people they were different and they were okay with that fact. Still, something's were better left unsaid.

However, Tsukune's question didn't overstep their boundaries, but it did complicate things. Pushing his back off the wall Gaara stood up straight. "I guess I have no choice," he sighed slightly annoyed. "I'll give you a demonstration, but before I do that, tell me…have you guys ever heard of something called chakra?"

As soon as the word chakra left his mouth the room went silent. Hell you could practically hear crickets and it wasn't even night yet. Naruto looked around the room with his big blue eyes to see that all of his friends had a bewildered expression. _Seriously?_ He frowned as his eyes went from one body to the next. It was kind of sad to him since every living being had chakra; it was an energy that was constantly used by everyone. Hell it was basically a life or death necessity. He was just about to give up hope when he saw the preteen sitting across from him raise her slender arm.

Yukari gulped nervously, "Umm…I have," she mumbled.

Gaara stared at the girl questionably. _I guess it's not too surprising that she's the one person who knows what chakra is. She is the smartest student at this school after all. Regardless I wonder how much she knows._

"Very well Yukari," Gaara remarked in deep monotone. "Do you mind explaining?"

Suddenly all eyes were on the young witch and she was a bit taken back by this. Usually she was the one who got the least attention because of her small stature and age. Constantly she was overlooked by her peers because she was different. Now the focus was all on her and she felt a little uncomfortable, but that didn't mean she was going to show weakness. "Okay…I'm not sure if this is correct, but I was taught that chakra is the molding of one's physical and spiritual energy."

"Bingo!" Naruto declared with a smile.

Gaara nodded his approval. "Correct and chakra is also a life energy that everyone possesses in our world and it can be used for techniques we like to call jutsu, but it can also be used to perform even the simplest tasks." Turning around the red head faced the wall that he was just leaning against. Without even uttering a word he placed one foot on the wall and then proceeded to walk up it. Tsukune and the others watched in awe as he continued to pace up the vertical partition, while Naruto observed in mild amusement. Once he reached the ceiling he halted, but only for a second and then he continued moving until he was hanging upside down from the center of the cap.

The five of them watched in awe as Gaara hung from the ceiling like a lifeless chandelier. Though the stoic male seemed bored with what he was doing, the others seemed absolutely fascinated.

"Wow!" Yukari exclaimed.

"How the hell is he doing that?" Kurumu shrieked. Walking up a wall was no tremendous feet for certain monsters with unique abilities, but to see a human do it like he was walking in a park seemed unreal.

"I haven't a clue," Tsukune murmured in a daze.

Moka's expression remained passive, but she silently took it all in. "Interesting," she whispered to herself.

"It's simple! He's pumping chakra to his feet!"

Naruto's obnoxious voice echoed three times which caused the others to shift their attention onto him. But when their ignorant eyes turned to his direction instead of seeing only Naruto they saw three of him. They sat on Tsukune's bed legs crossed with a foxy grin as they chuckled to themselves.

"Huh?" Mizore rubbed her eyes just to check in see if she was hallucinating. When she reopened them the three blonde's remained. "It would seem Kurumu wasn't lying. He can clone himself…"

The snow woman wasn't too shocked to see this, Kurumu did warn her after all. What did bother her was the fact that they were able to do these things with ease. Since she and the others had begun attending Yokai academy they had fought several powerful monsters but none of them were masters of stealth and speed. Kuyou was a true demon through and through but he was anything but crafty. Hokuto Kaneshiro was the mighty leader of the Anti-Thesis group. He was a brilliant fighter, equipped with great intellect and loyal followers. However, when compared to Gaara and Naruto he didn't seem all that special. Not only were these two strangers strong but they were also very smooth and clever.

"Hmm…" Inner Moka hummed as her demonic eyes focused in on the three blondes as she stalked towards them. Without warning she poked the one on in the middle hard with her sharp index finger.

"Ah!" he yelped. Unintentionally the vampire's sharp nail dug into Naruto's skin creating a small cut on his bicep. "Dammit! What the hell was that for Moka?" Immediately his other two copies disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Mizore shook her head, "Well that was unnecessary…"

Kurumu agreed, "Yeah Moka, I mean I know Naruto's an asshole but that doesn't mean you have to stab him."

The girl in question glared at them. "It was an accident," she growled.

Her crimson orbs bulged when she realized her mistake. Sometimes she forgot her own strength. "My apologies Naruto, I was only trying to see which one of you was the original. I guess I used too much force… Are you okay?"

Naruto grimaced as he watched the small amounts of blood leak from his skin. "Well congratulations you guessed right! But you could have just asked me you know?" he muttered as his orange t shirt became slightly stained. _Fuck, just great now I have something else to explain._ The hyperactive shinobi wasn't worried about the scar; though it was pretty deep he had far worst injuries in the past. His concern lied with what was about to happen. "Don't worry, it's just a scratch," he mumbled in discomfort.

"Are you sure? Can I get you something?" Moka offered sincerely. Though she didn't mean the boy any harm, the smell of his blood was starting to have an effect on her. All it took was a whiff of his crimson fluids and her nostrils began to flare. _Yes, there's no doubt about it. That's definitely the blood of a human, _she thought as she licked her moist lips. She wanted nothing more to sink her fangs into his neck to satisfy her thirst, but she knew she couldn't do that. To control her urges she took a few cautious steps back and she accidently bumped into Gaara who was standing behind her. _When did he get there?_

"Naruto doesn't require any medical aid," he remarked.

Kurumu gaped at him, "You've got to be joking? Your cousin has blood dripping down his freaking arm!"

The stoic teen shrugged. _Women are such dramatic beings._ "Then go fetch a wet cloth to clean it up. Other than that he doesn't need anything."

Kurumu was about to protest again, when she felt Mizore's cold hand on her shoulder. With a stern face she shook her head which basically told the succubus to drop it.

"Don't do anything…Just watch and observe," he said.

Right on cue, the gash in Naruto's bicep began to sizzle and small streams of steam began to flow. The blonde winced as he watched his cut start to glow and slowly close. When the kyuubi healed his injuries he didn't feel pain, but there was still this uncomfortable sensation that came with the healing. Within a minute, his bruise had vanished completely. The only evidence to prove he had a cut at all was the tear in his shirt and the remaining blood running down his forearm. "What a pain in the ass," he grumbled.

"Incredible," Moka gasped.

Mizore tilted her head thoughtfully, "I guess that explains a lot, huh?"

All of the girls were caught off by this sudden development, but this was something Tsukune was prepared for. When they first walked in class almost a month ago and Naruto had no visible injuries after he originally found him with more than few small bumps and bruises a week before. _He has high-speed healing abilities;_ _I had a feeling that was the case._

By this time Kurumu had already left and came back with a heated wet cloth as Gaara instructed. Pushing past Moka and Mizore she held out her hand to offer it to him. "Here," she said blankly.

"What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously while eying the material.

She rolled her eyes irritably. No one could be this stupid. "I'm giving you something to clean your arm with. Now take it!" she growled.

"But why do this for me?" he asked with a glare. "You never do nice things for me so why start now?"

The succubus's face became warm with embarrassment, so she turned away from him to avoid his gaze. "Don't read too much into it; I'm just tired of looking at your bodily fluids. It's gross."

"Well thanks but no thanks. Your assistance isn't required," he replied smugly.

A vein pulsed hard in Kurumu's head and she felt the last bit of her patience slip away. "Fine…Have it your way then!" she growled before promptly sitting down beside him. Snatching his arm aggressively, she started to clean his arm thoroughly.

"What the hell?" Naruto yelped as he tried to tug his arm away from her. "I told you I don't need your help!"

"I told you the exact same thing earlier in the woods so I don't give a shit!"

The two continued to bicker a little bit longer before Naruto finally conceded. Moka sweat dropped as she watched the succubus roll up the blonde's sleeve. Curiously she leaned over and whispered in Mizore's ear.

"What was that all about?"

The snow woman shrugged uncaringly while slurping on her lollipop. "Hell if I know."

Once things calmed down an awkward silence once again enveloped the room. Naruto looked from left to right to see all his new friends were quiet, but he could sense their interest and uncertainty. They weren't looking at him directly but each of them was taking subtle glances here and there. He looked to his close friend for guidance, but the red head held an unreadable expression. In other words, he decided that it wasn't his business. _Relax Naruto, you already seen this coming so it's best to get it over with. _"I guess I should probably address the elephant in the room. All of you are wondering what just happened right?" he asked. When he didn't get an answer, he took a different approach.

"Scratch that, you all know what just happened. So you must be wondering how the hell a human did it." The blonde heaved a trouble sigh while trying to keep his composure. No matter how much he got used to it, he didn't like talking about his curse. No jinchuriki did.

"While I may not be a monster…I do have one sealed inside of me," he stated in a hushed tone while clutching his stomach.

The news was stunning but it didn't take them long to recover. Tsukune was the first to voice his curiosity. "There's a monster inside of you!?" he asked skeptically. He didn't know why it but he was actually more intrigued than he was scared. "How is that possible?"

Moka eyes narrowed in suspicion. She did have an open mind and everything that Naruto and Gaara had told her thus far, she believed. Still a demon trapped within a human was a little farfetched even for someone with her background. "I've never heard of anything like that before."

Yukari's mouth was agape. "No way!

Kurumu was now momentarily speechless and Mizore was so shocked that her grape sucker fell out of her mouth and hit the floor with a dull thud.

Naruto frowned, "I know it's hard to believe, but it is the truth." He turned to Moka with an intense gaze. His blue eyes bore into her crimson ones. "That dark energy you've been sensing is the chaotic chakra of a tailed beast."

"Tailed beast?" The vampire repeated. She had never heard of anything of the sort. What kind of Yokai was it?

Naruto nodded and continued. "Tailed beasts are living entities of chakra, also known as 'chakra monsters'. There are nine of them in total and they are separated by their number of tails, the range also being from one to nine."

Once the information had settled in her big brain, Yukari once again perked up. "Hold on a minute! I've heard of these monsters before."

Openmouthed and goggle-eyed, Naruto stared at the girl dumbfounded. "You…Have?" _Just how much does this little girl know? _Countless times since the day they met her intellect and wisdom astonished him, hell even Gaara was impressed. If he didn't know any better he'd say she might even be smarter than Shikamaru.

"Mhmm" she hummed eagerly while nodding her head. She didn't know why, but the more she learned about these two strangers, the more comfortable she felt in their presence, even Gaara who she was initially afraid of. "When my grandmother used to visit me when I was younger she would always bring over old books for me to read. Most of them were about concealed spells and forbidden magic. But one day she brought over a superstitious book called the _Legendary Tailed Yokai._

Almost instantly Gaara's head snapped up. "What?"

_"Legendary Tailed Yokai,"_ she restated for the red haired boy. "It's a reference book that's been around for centuries in my family. It's about nine gigantic creatures that were once one being. Just like you said Naruto, they were beast with enormous amounts of that chakra stuff and a different number of tails for each one." She looked over at the blonde and his mouth was still agape from the shock of her knowledge. He was so stunned that all he could do was nod for her to continue.

"My grandma told me there was a powerful sage who was responsible for the separation of the tailed beast, but before all that had taken place he had sealed the ten tailed beast within himself. Even though he was mortal he was considered to be a god among humans and all life forms. He is said to be the first human to actually be born with chakra. I…um don't remember what they called him."

"The Sage of Six Paths," Gaara elaborated.

"Huh?"

"Sorry, we don't know his actual name. The Sage of Six Paths is his moniker," Naruto stated sadly. "Gaara and I only learned about this guy a month before we ended up here."

"Wait a minute," Kurumu murmured audibly. With a focus gaze she turned to the blonde in question. "You never told us how you got here in the first place."

"That's right," Mizore added from her side. "You guys haven't told us how you came to be in our dimension. If we are really going to believe you aren't from this world shouldn't we know how you got here?"

This line of questioning frustrated the dimensional travelers. Naruto started to unintentionally let out subtle growls, while Gaara's eyes narrowed signaling his own irritation. That alone was enough to make Moka intervene. They were mad and they had every right to be mad. It was painfully obvious that they didn't want to have this conversation in the first place, but here they were telling them about their personal lives and then Kurumu and Mizore had the nerve to ask for more. She knew they were scared and curious, but they needed to be more considerate of other people's feelings.

"Please excuse them," she remarked in a polite and professional manner. "There a little bit antsy from all of the recent events. Please continue…"

"But…"

The vampire shot them a murderous glare and it immediately silenced them.

"Never mind," the girls replied in unison.

Seeing the deflated looks on their faces made the red head reconsider. Besides they did ask a sensible question. "Actually it's fine."

Moka gave him a face that said 'are you serious?' "Really?" she asked.

"There's no harm," he responded with a blank expression. "I'll just keep it brief."

Mizore and Kurumu perked back up upon hearing his decision. They weren't trying to be nosey, but ever since they found out that their new friends were from another realm they wanted to know how they ended up here. It was a phenomenon, anyone would be interested.

Gaara brushed aside a red lock that was blocking his vision. "Before we came here, we were in the middle of fighting a war."

"There is a war going on in your home world?" Moka questioned.

"Yes, the fourth great ninja war to be precise," he proceeded. Before jumping back in, he took a glance around the room and noticed all the eager eyes. If he wanted to avoid extra questions he'd have to withhold information. "During this war we encountered many powerful shinobi, because of this it was only a matter of time before we became tired and low on chakra. While Naruto and I tried to regroup we were ambushed so we took refuge in a cave. Unfortunately we were followed and attacked by an enemy." _Masanori,_ he thought to himself. It had almost been a month and he still was dealing with that man's betrayal.

"_There's no escaping this explosion…The cave entrance is enclosed, you two will die here."_

Shaking his head, he quickly ridded himself of the flashbacks. He needed to move past this, but it was a lot easier said than done. "Our opponent was defeated, but he resorted to an explosive suicide as a last ditch effort to kill us. We escaped the blast, but the aftershock caused the cave to fall apart."

"What did you do?" Yukari inquired in anticipation. She might as well have been watching a movie the way she was sitting on the edge of her seat.

"Desperately we searched for an exit. We were almost out of time, when we stumbled upon this strange portal. There was some skepticism at first on my part, but when I realized there were no other options I quickly agreed. We stepped through the gate and that's why we stand before you now."

Again, the room fell under temporary silence, it had become a trend and it was becoming old fast. You would think that they wouldn't be too shocked since they don't really live ordinary lives themselves. But when he looked closer, he noticed that they weren't shocked they were thinking. Trying to figure out if his story was valid or not.

_Good, it would be foolish of them to believe me without some sort of contemplation._

"I'm confused," said Tsukune.

"About what?" Naruto asked.

"How you guys got here," he replied. "Don't get me wrong. I believe you, it's just that doesn't explain how I found you two lying unconscious in the Yokai forest."

Naruto stared back at the brunette blankly. "I have no idea how that happened," he shrugged with a grin.

"That's because you were unconscious when we passed through," Gaara added.

"Oh…Yeah."

The red head then addressed the rest. "The cyclone of energy within the portal was too much for our bodies to withstand. Once we entered your world our bodies were weak and our chakra had almost been completely depleted."

Slowly Tsukune recoiled. "Wow a lot has happened to you guys in such a short time."

The blonde responded with a snort. "You don't even know the half of it."

"So let me get this straight…" Kurumu spoke as her eyes traveled from one to the other. "You two fought a war and escaped a collapsing cave by jumping through a weird portal. You then… ended up unconscious in the woods on the outskirts of our school. Am I right?"

"Yep," he chirped.

"Wow…"

"Damn, it sounds like a cliché out of some science fiction movie," Mizore stated.

Moka took a deep breath, "Well cliché or not we should be grateful they shared this with us. Now we have a better perspective. Thank you."

"Don't mention it…" Gaara remarked.

Naruto gave the grey haired lamia a grateful smile. "No prob," he was pretty happy to see Moka settled down. She was being so aggressive earlier, but now she was calmer and easier to deal with. "But what were we talking about before all this?" he asked no one in particular.

"You were telling us about that sage!" Yukari said while fiddling with her wand.

"That's right," he slammed his fist into his palm. He didn't know why, but he was warming up to this whole thing. The reactions they gave were so lively. Especially Yukari, seeing her all hyped up like this reminded him of Konohamaru and his team. It was no secret that he was really missing Konoha.

"From what I was told, the Sage of Six Paths was considered to be the God of shinobi. During his prime, he was the only human around."

Gaara picked up from where his friend left off. "Like Yukari mentioned earlier, the Sage of Six Paths was the first jinchuriki."

"Jinchuriki?"

Naruto answered, "It's a term used back home for humans who have tailed beasts inside them."

"In other words, jinchuriki means human sacrifice," Gaara deadpanned. The word sacrifice was one he understood well, that and loneliness. _Yes, sacrifice is the perfect word to describe the contribution of a human container. _"It is said that the sage used the **Creation of All Things,** a divine jutsu that allowed him to create the nine tailed beast. His power was truly unlimited, he used his own imagination to mold and shape each monster into his own image."

Tsukune, who had been quiet for the longest time found himself trying to imagine a man with that kind of power at his disposal. Just hearing it was so mind boggling that it sent his young mind into a spiral of thoughts. _The god of shinobi huh? This sage had divine powers so would it be a stretch to say that he also traveled to our dimension? _The hybrid was perplexed but he had this nagging feeling that this legendary man was more than just a deity of a ninja world…

Yes, he truly interested in the tale of this great man, nonetheless there was something else that was even more peculiar to him. _Well we got this far so why not? _He figured.

"Naruto…Gaara…?" They both shifted their eyes to the inquisitive male. "You mind if I ask a follow up question?"

The red head replied first, "Not at all."

The blonde echoed his approval, "Go for it!"

"Okay…Naruto," he started while gazing solely his energetic friend. "You said you have one of these tailed beasts inside you. Right?" when he nodded Tsukune transferred his attention onto the other dimensional traveler. "Gaara, I'm guessing it's safe to assume that you have one as well…?" as expected, the impassive teen also gave his concurrence.

Tsukune heaved an exasperated sigh of relief. "Alright, I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries here…But can you tell us about the monsters inside of you? For example what are they specifically?"

"What exactly do you want to know?" Naruto asked.

Tsukune shrugged, "Anything that you're willing to share. It's your personal life so I'm not going to pry." Unlike the girls he wasn't so hyped up that he would demand things from them.

The topic of tailed beast or biju was something that most jinchurki avoided and for obvious reasons. Growing up as the container for a monster is no picnic in the world of shinobi. If a jinchurki was even able to make friends it was best to keep it secret from them. After all, no one wants to be friends with a jinchuriki. That is until, that very jinchurki proves that there more than just the container of a malicious chakra entity.

Both of these young men had already demonstrated their loyalty by protecting their friends and villages respectively. Now they felt comfortable in their own skin. So there was nothing really holding them back from telling the truth. Besides if they really thought about it, they weren't all that different from the people surrounding them. Everyone in this room was either a monster or had its presence and everyone had a story of their own to tell. If these people were truly their friends, than they would accept them for what they were even if they were scared and didn't understand.

"I understand," Gaara softly spoke. His emotionless eyes traveled from one side of the room to the other before he took a light exhale. "I'm Gaara, jinchuriki of the one tailed tanuki, primarily known as Shukaku. My demon is an incarnation of sand."

"A raccoon dog? There's a raccoon dog inside of you?" Kurumu gasped as she tried to hold back a giggle by covering her mouth. She wasn't laughing at his expense, but she always thought they were such adorable little things. "That's so cute!" She gushed.

"Cute?" The Kazekage restated questionably. The Shukaku had been called a lot of things over the years but cute definitely wasn't one of them.

Naruto chuckled incredulously at the succubus's reaction. "Cute?" he laughed before looking at Tsukune and Gesturing his thumb towards the busty blue haired girl. "Is this chick for real?" he cackled while holding his sides. He had personally fought Gaara while he took Shukaku's form, that thing was far from cute. It was just as ugly and obnoxious as the nine tails.

The energetic blonde was so caught up in his fit of laughter that he didn't notice a hard book sailing across the room. The heavy piece of literature hit the boy square in the face, knocking him over.

"Shut the hell up whiskers!" Kurumu shouted with a balled fist.

Yukari and Tsukune chortled and even Inner Moka laughed softly at their antics. Gaara himself let the smallest of smiles grace his lips. Those two were constantly at each other's throats every day. An hour didn't go by without one of them taking a shot at the other with their witty remarks and unnecessary sarcasm.

"So that's how you do it?"

A cool voice came from the far side of the room. The red haired boy's eyes settled on the purple haired snow woman with the fierce blue eyes. Though her gaze was intense he could tell that she had relaxed a bit.

Mizore Shirayuki was an enigma to him. They had one short conversation on the first day of school and since then they hadn't really talked. Her eyes were always on him whenever he was around and he knew that she didn't trust him but there was more to it than that. He wasn't a fool he could sense what was really going on. She was scared of him and she didn't know how to deal with it, which explains her irritation. If there was one thing he knew it was fear and it radiated off the cold beauty like a hot furnace.

Gaara regarded her with half lid orbs. "Hn?"

"That's how you control sand," she carried on without missing a beat. She didn't bother questioning him further about it, there was really no need. "That's how you killed that King Dorian so easily."

There was no point in refuting her so he just nodded. "Yes, but even without its presence the earth's sand is always under my command. My biju just simplifies things, while also granting me an abundance of chakra." If Gaara was to lose Shukaku there is no doubt that he would die, but his mother is the one who gave him this power. This is something he firmly believed.

"I see," Mizore responded quietly while deep in thought.

The two clumsily exchanged glances and then quickly focused their attention elsewhere. In their own way they were just like Naruto and Kurumu. The main difference being the fact that they didn't argue, but there was obvious tension between them. Since they were quieter, the others didn't really notice it.

"What else does it do for you?" Yukari asked.

"In addition to the sand manipulation, the Shukaku also gives me absolute defense. If I am ever under attack my sand will always come to my aid without me having to summon it."

"So that's why that giant plant couldn't lay a finger on you?" Moka asked. Gaara gave her a puzzled look and she had a feeling why. "If you're wondering how I know this, Kokoa told me during my hospital visit an hour ago."

He knew that she didn't arrive until he was about to finish the monster off so there was no way she could of seen the dorian's failed attacks. She knew about this because Kokoa wouldn't stop talking about it when she visited her. "Half of her body was wrapped in bandages and she couldn't stop blabbing about your abilities. She was beyond amazed." Apparently he left a huge impression on her.

The stoic male had no instant reply. Instead his mind drifted back to the moment he found her.

_That girl…_

Initially Gaara had separated himself from Naruto and Kurumu so he could hunt the dorians in peace, but he had another reason for going solo. Being the thorough and prepared guy that he was, he decided the day before the trip, he'd read up on Dorian monsters. So he went to the library again, only this time he went alone to check out an index book that can shed light on the mysterious creatures. He learned that they reside underground in dry regions and that they used the fruits on their heads to lure their prey just like an anglerfish.

The most interesting thing he found out during his research was the information he read on King Dorians. They were said to be at least three times the size of the average ones. These monster were unranked but were still considered to be highly dangerous according to the book. Danger was all knew so it was right up his alley.

When the time came to hunt his prey, he knew exactly where to find them. He had been flying around the forest in search of the enormous plant monster. Before then, he had already found several and quickly vanquished them, but unlike Naruto he didn't keep the fruits. He didn't care about winning the competition, what mattered to him was testing his strength against a worthy opponent.

Gaara was riding his sand cloud southwest of the forest and was about to change directions when he heard a booming roar. It was much louder than the ones he had been hearing previously. Then there was something else. The smell of blood was lingering in the air and enticing his nostrils, so he decided to investigate. Flying rapidly through the trees he got to his destination within seconds, emerging into the open field he saw a familiar girl hanging lifelessly above a giant dorian's mouth. He immediately recognized her as Moka's crazy flame haired sister and she was on the verge of unconsciousness. At that moment he didn't have time to think, as the enormous atrocity had just released her to plummet into its hungry mouth.

Zooming toward her, he caught her in his arms before she could fall into the plants oral clutches. Not wasting time he gently placed her down on his cloud of sand and jumped off. Once on the ground he maneuvered his cloud to position the vampire a safe distance away from the plant. Her body was already bruised and battered so she couldn't afford further injury. He had made it just in time.

The red head came out of his reverie to see a surprising sight. Not only was he shocked, but every other occupant of the room was just as stunned. Bowing before him, was a prideful Inner Moka. The vampire lifted her head to look at him, her red eyes seemed empty but a small tear was sliding down her cheek.

"Thank you… Thank you for saving my little sister, I am truly grateful!"

Gaara had been momentarily speechless, but quickly regained his composure. "Moka…There's no need to thank me, I wasn't going to stand there and let her die. I did what I felt was right."

"I know, but you protected Kokoa when I couldn't and that means the world to me. Thank you," she spoke in a hushed tone and rose back to her feet. As a woman and a vampire she was known to be strong and independent, but when it came to her family she was very protective, even more so when it came to her little sister. Since they were little, Kokoa was always following her around, so she made it her duty to watch over her. Constantly she was getting into trouble, whether she got caught stealing something or got into fights, Moka had always been there to bail her out.

She may have been a pain, but she was still her precious little sister.

While at the hospital, Kokoa told her everything that happened in detail. Since Moka rarely showed weakness, she steeled herself to remain strong throughout the story. The part where Kokoa only came a moment away from becoming a dorian's lunch, made her swallow a lump that had been forming in her throat.

_Moka_, Tsukune stared at the girl that carried all of his affection. He was use to her outer self showing sincerity, warmth and gratitude, but not the inner version. This was completely new, but it made his feelings for this powerful Yokai even stronger.

The room was now a whirlwind of emotions. Gaara was obviously feeling strange and Naruto looked like a fish out of water on the floor. Mizore and Kurumu appeared to be lost in a daze while trying to take everything in. On the other hand Tsukune had this love sick expression on his face as he continue to gaze at Moka with adoration.

Yes, it had been a long day indeed so it wasn't weird to see everyone behaving so strangely. _Still,_ Yukari thought as her eye landed on the blonde who was rubbing his aching head. _My thirst for knowledge hasn't been satisfied!_

Clearing her throat, she subtly gathered everyone's attention. "So…Naruto… Can you tell us what yours can do?"

"My what?"

"Your tailed beast…" she sweat dropped.

"Oh," Naruto chuckled before slowly rising to his feet. "You want to know about the nine tailed kitsune?"

"So you've got a demonic fox inside of you?" Tsukune asked.

Kurumu frowned, "That explains your whiskers. You inherited your tailed beast's characteristics."

Naruto was tempted to correct her but then he'd have to explain the fate of his mother and father and that was something he didn't feel like talking about. He barely told Gaara about it not too long ago, so he wasn't about to tell a group of strangers he was just getting to know. Lying was the best course of action at this time.

"Yeah, that's how I got them." He replied while tracing one of the long hairs on his cheek. "I am Naruto Uzumaki, jinchuriki of the nine tailed fox. Whenever I am injured my beast heals my wounds almost instantly."

Yukari's eyes dropped to Naruto's bicep where he was wounded. It was completely gone like it had never been there in the first place. "That's unreal!" She smiled while wishing she had a pencil and a notebook at hand. Her grandmother's book didn't have this information on the beasts. "What else?"

"Well it also grants me more chakra than any other biju." He flashed Gaara a playful smirk which the red head caught but resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "But other than that I can't really think of much else."

"Stop messing with me," she pouted while stomping her foot. "There's something you aren't telling me…"

"Hmm?" Naruto hummed thoughtfully tapping his finger to his chin. "Well there is one more thing I can show you?" Naruto grinned slyly after turning away from the preteen. "But no I can't! It wouldn't be right to do it just for a demonstration." Shaking his head in dismay the blonde watched the girl with a sideway glance.

"Come on! I really want to see it. Please!

"Oh…I don't know…"

"Don't be like that! Oh I know…I'll buy you ramen!"

_Jackpot, _were his exact thoughts as he calmly relaxed his face to hide his excitement. He hadn't had ramen in almost two months and he felt like he was going to die of withdrawal symptoms. Shrugging Naruto once again faced her with a reluctant expression. "Well…I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Yes!" Yukari cheered.

"But only for a minute," he finished as he settled himself into the middle of the room.

_Is he really going to do this?_ Gaara questioned silently observing. He really didn't mind, but he wasn't too sure if Naruto flaring his chakra like that was a wise idea. There's a good chance that some of the students at the academy were energy sensors.

"What are you going to do?" Tsukune asked with a bit of apprehension.

The boy didn't reply, instead he relaxed his body after rotating his stiff soldiers. "Here I go!" without warning he commenced. Spontaneously his arm was shrouded with yellow orange chakra that was flickering like a flame. In a millisecond the flame on his arm had went on to encase his entire body. Along with the blazing shroud came black markings and various symbols. His ocean blue eyes changed into orange orbs. Springing from both sides of his head were pointy pieces of chakra that appeared to be horns.

"Oh shit… I think he's on fire," Mizore droned calmly.

Yukari couldn't form words. But her violate eyes sparkled like she was watching the flame dance at a campfire for the first time. She was entranced.

Kurumu gawked… It had actually been something she had been doing constantly lately. Not a day would pass without the hyperactive teen doing something unordinary but this took the cake. His body looked like it was on fire and she can feel the heat radiating off of his person. The strange thing was the heat didn't seem dangerous to her, surprising she felt invitingly soft warmth. Unconsciously she stepped closer.

"Damn," Tsukune grimaced_. Naruto wasn't lying when he described this chakra, _he thought. _This stuff is beyond chaotic! it's wilder than anything I have ever felt. It's like a whirlwind of intense energy that's flowing violently._

"Astounding," Moka remarked. Being a full-blooded vampire she was able to comprehend the full extent of his power. _This chakra… it's so overwhelming. _Feeling dumbfounded her demonic eyes glared at Naruto. _How could someone so young hold this much power? _She didn't want to be presumptuous since the earth was a vast place filled with billions of people, but right now she was under the impression that the blonde before her was the strongest being on the planet.

The only individual unfazed by this demonstration was Gaara, but then again he had seen it more than a few times. Despite this there was something he was curious about. "Naruto," he said getting the blonde's attention. "What are you sensing right now?"

"Hold on…"Yukari mumbled. "Are you some kind of empath!?"

"What the hell is that?"

Shaking her head she groaned. "Someone who can sense people's emotions."

"Yeah… well kind of… But I can only sense the negative feelings of people around me and I can only do it in this form."

"Cool!"

"That's not all…"

Yukari's attention rounded to Gaara. "There's more?"

Gaara swayed. "Yes, while in that form Naruto is nearly unstoppable. His strength and speed increase tremendously and he can make endless clones of himself which helps him utilize his abilities. Not to mention the fact that he has all of the nine tails chakra at his disposal. The nine tails has the most chakra of all the biju and it is presumed to be the most powerful."

"That's crazy!"

"Indeed, out of the two of us he is the strongest…"

Naruto smiled but didn't spare his friend a glance since he was still trying to focus. "Aww shucks Gaara, you're making me blush!" Truth of the matter was Naruto didn't rally pay too much attention to their difference in strength. They were friends and that's all that really mattered to him.

Tsukune laughed lightly while still observing the transformed teen standing in the center of his dorm room. Standing in front of him was a powerful being that was kind and cheerful, which is something that is rarely seen. When he first met the two of them, he was immediately under the impression that Gaara was the stronger one. The reasons he thought that were obvious. The red haired boy had a very intimidating presence, while the blonde seemed more welcoming.

Naruto's orange eyes narrowed while darting back in forth. "There's a lot of negativity focused all over the academy. Jealousy, greed, depression, and perverseness are emotions that are all cluttered together on campus."

Gaara contemplated, _School just got out of session, so many students still remain on campus to socialize and partake in extracurricular activities._ He may have been new, but he didn't lack common sense. "Well that's not too surprising, there a still a lot of students lounging in the area."

Naruto nodded absentmindedly. "True, could just be some jocks and cheerleaders. I'll keep searching…"

He continued to sit and brew, patiently waiting for something to pop up. As time passed, he was able to feel more and more. Eventually he sensed some students who even had hatred within them, not to mention self destructive thoughts. _Damn this school is even crazier than I thought! _Though he expected to feel a lot of unpleasant things, that didn't prepare him for what he was about to sense.

"The hell…"

Gaara stepped forward. "What happened?"

Naruto balled his fist. "I've never felt something so despicable before." Whoever this person was they were pure evil. Selfishness and resentment oozed from the individual's being. This unknown entity had absolutely no substance. Growling and muttering under his breath he disappeared in a flash of yellow leaving Gaara alone with a bewildered group of teens.

"What the hell just happened?" Kurumu asked staring at the spot where he once stood.

"Naruto sensed something ominous, so he's in pursuit. He'll be back soon." Gaara replied leaning against the adjacent wall.

Curiously he peered out the open window to see students below the dorms. Passing by were kids chatting idly without a care in the world, couples holding hand and biding each other farewell with kisses and hugs. _Ignorance is bliss _he thought_._ Living so carefree, in a way he envied them. Their lives seemed so fruitful and complete that it made him wonder how things would be for him if he were born under different circumstances.

"Have you two found anything?"

He turned to see Mizore standing aside him. "Found what?"

"Have you found anything useful to help you get home?"

"No," he replied bitterly. "We have been searching constantly now for about a month and have found no indication how to get back to our dimension."

Being away from Suna for so long was slowly starting to eat away at his conscience. On the outside he was his usual calm and complacent self, but on the inside he was a tornado of uncertainty. He's the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand and he needed to be present to protect his village. More importantly there was the aftermath of the war that was still unknown. For all he knew the shinobi world could be a barren wasteland by now.

His green eyes went back to staring out window.

Last but not least, his siblings. Temari and Kankuro are a handful to deal with, but he cared about them deeply. Temari was always trying her best to get them to all to spend quality time together, while Kankuro did his best to find a way out of it. Ultimately it always ended up in an argument. Their never ending bickering was something he also missed. _You two better be alive._

"How about we help?"

Gaara blinked and rounded to see Yukari smiling with her legs crossed. "What?"

"We can help you guys find your way home!" she declared enthusiastically. The brunette looked expectantly at all of her friends. "You guys in?"

"Sure," Tsukune replied. "Sounds like it could be fun."

"I know! It's going to be an adventure!"

Moka smiled and shrugged. "Well… I do owe you one so it can't be helped."

Kurumu sighed, "Well I don't have anything else to do."

Gaara was baffled, but did the only thing he knew. He bowed to show his gratitude. "Thank you."

"Mizore, are you going to help to?" Yukari asked.

The snow woman stood there in silence debating her answer. She thought that if she learned more about them it would calm her nerves but instead she was more doubtful than ever. The idea of spending an extended period of time with two men who have as much power as a dark lord didn't sound pleasant.

_But then again…_

Mizore's stoic visage met Gaara's. _We made a deal…_

"Fine," she responded. "I'll tag along…"

Gaara raised an invisible brow. "Are you sure of this Shirayuki?"

"Yes, we are friends after all." That was something that she needed to remind herself so it felt good to say it out loud. _He's a friend not an enemy…_

"Well it's decided," Yukari said clasping her hands together. "All we have to do is wait for-

Interrupting her sentence was a flash of yellow flickered into the window. Not a second later, Naruto stood there in the center of the room. "I'm back," he announced.

"Naruto," she finished.

"Did you find it?" asked Gaara.

Naruto shook his head. "No, I didn't find a damn thing. Well that's not entirely true." Grunting he quickly cancelled his nine tails chakra mode. Instantly his flaming chakra shroud vanished revealing his default form. "I did see something disturbing." Now he captured everyone's attention. The others slowly gathered around the jinchuriki duo.

Kurumu crossed her arms. "You seem irritated. What happened out there?"

Sighing, he walked to the bed and sat down on the edge. "I…I found this girl..." he started hesitantly while gazing at the wooden floor. He didn't really know how to describe what he saw considering he had never seen something like that before.

"And?" Kurumu frowned.

The blonde gulped. "She had been assaulted."

Tsukune and the girls gasped upon hearing these words. Their body language changed, especially Mizore who had tensed up.

The blonde's head tilted in suspicion as he continued. "I found her underneath the bleachers of the football stadium when I was searching for that dark sensation. She was half naked and in hysterics. Her body was shaking and she wouldn't stop mumbling confusing words."

Kurumu swallowed the lump in her throat before looking to Mizore. The snow woman's face remained impassive for the most part, but her teeth were clenched and her jaw wouldn't stop trembling. _She's still trying to get over it,_ the succubus noted to herself with a solemn expression.

"I tried to comfort her, but she seemed so out of it."

Kurumu gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "So what did you do?"

"What else could I do? I picked her up and took her to the infirmary. When I got there I handed her over to the staff on the first floor and then I told them what I knew and left. I'm going to go back and check on her once we are done here."

"That's good," she smiled and the blonde returned a small grin of his own. "You did the right thing."

Gaara watched their exchange with mild interest. The two of them didn't get along with each other, but there was obviously something going on. They had been acting strange the whole day; though they were always taking verbal jabs at each other they still showed concern whenever the opposite was troubled or in trouble. _You're a great actor Naruto but you can't fool me._

_You like this girl… don't you?_

Regardless of the fact that he didn't want to interrupt, he had to. "Did anyone see you?"

Naruto looked at Gaara like he had sprouted a second head. "Of course not! Come on Gaara do you think I'm some kind of amateur?"

"No, I just want to make sure we cover all our tracks," he replied. Things were only going to get more complicated so playing it safe was always the best way to go about things. "Did the girl notice your chakra mode?"

"I'm not sure," he said scratching the back of his head. "But does it really matter?"

"Depends, we won't know until you see her again."

"I suppose your right," he muttered breathlessly. The girl herself appeared to be somewhat lucid, but she seemed to be unaware of her surroundings. "So what happened while I was gone? Talk about anything interesting?"

"As a matter a fact we did," Moka answered.

Naruto grinned, "Well don't keep me in suspense."

"Alright," she replied stoically. "From now on the five of us will be assisting you and Gaara. We are going to help you find your way back home."

"Say what?"

"I thought it was strange to," Gaara inferred from the opposite side of the room. "Yet they seem dead set on this."

Naruto's turned to all his new friends with a confused frown. "But why?"

"The girls want to apologize for how they've been treating you lately," Tsukune remarked knowingly. He was happy that things were finally settling down. All the secrecy and tension was becoming tiresome. "They want a fresh start as friends."

Naruto faced Kurumu, "Really?"

Her cheeks were reddened from embarrassment. Nervously she fidgeted next to him. "Yeah… We haven't been making you guys feel all that welcome since you got here. We were wrong…"

Mizore also came forward with her hands stuffed in her sweater's pockets. "For that we are sorry. We've been behaving like children."

"Uhh…It's no big deal," Naruto shrugged.

"You're wrong," Moka corrected him. "Since the first introduction we've been suspicious of you. Instead of treating you with hospitality we kept you both at arm's length. There is no excuse for our behavior, but I want you to know the reasoning behind our actions. Before you came here many things had happened."

"What things?" he asked.

The vampire shook her head. "Unfortunately, I can't go into detail." Her crimson orbs scanned her friends. It wasn't her place to talk about the things that happened to the others, but Naruto and Gaara still deserved to know something about them. "Let's just say it was very unpleasant. We've been betrayed several times and each of us has been targeted at least once. Tsukune above all, has been the main focus."

"I see," said Gaara. "You thought that we might also be after him?"

"That's right"

Naruto laughed, "Seriously? I mean Tsukune's good looking, but I think I'm just as sexy if not more…"

Moka face palmed and you could hear the smacking of foreheads throughout the abode. _How can someone be so strong yet so silly? _"Actually Naruto I was referring to Tsukune's background not his appearance. Anyway my point is that the people who usually try and get friendly with him want him dead."

Gaara gave her deadpanned look. "Is this because he is a human?"

Blinking several times, she quickly recovered fast from her stupor. "H-How?"

Sitting in his chair stumped, Tsukune tried to figure out how the hell they came to that conclusion. He knows that they didn't sense anything different and he didn't really stand out too much. His every day routine was basic and he rarely did anything to draw attention to himself, but somehow attention always found him. There was no way it was his scent, ever since Moka injected her own blood into his bloodstream his smell started changing, she told him herself.

"Vampires love human blood…Don't they?"

_Of course,_ Tsukune smiled. Outer Moka couldn't resist temptation like her Inner self, the smell of human blood was too much for her to handle. They were always around each other so her helping herself to his blood was expected. He couldn't be mad at her, no matter how he tried. Besides he didn't really have a problem with them knowing. "So…that's how you figured it out?"

"Yes, but Naruto and I were a bit confused considering you have powers as well since humans don't have powers in this dimension. When Moka said you have her blood flowing through your veins we put two and two together."

Tsukune nodded and shrugged. "Well it's true. I am a modified human, a hybrid of man and vampire." Unbuttoning his sleeve, he gestured to the metallic cross attached to his wrist he pointed it out. "See, like Moka I also have something to keep my power sealed."

"Fascinating," said Gaara.

"It looks pretty cool," Naruto smirked. "But Tsukune do you want to know what really gave you away?"

"What?"

"The dorians," he chuckled while pointing a finger at Tsukune. "The way you almost threw up your breakfast when you saw a picture of one was priceless!"

Tsukune was going to comment, but was interrupted by the loud voices of Yukari and Kurumu.

"Dorians!"

Tsukune rubbed his forehead and prepared for what was coming. A large pair of breast clung to his forearm while a slender arm was interlaced with his bicep. Yukari was clinging to him from one side while Kurumu was on the other. "Oh no…"

"Oh yes," Kurumu grinned devilishly.

"It's time!" Yukari shouted.

He felt a migraine coming on when he saw Mizore staring at him expectantly. Her cheeks were flushed and she had the smallest of smiles on her face. _I don't like the feeling of this… _he was right and it was about to get worse. The room was suddenly consumed by a brilliant light causing everyone to shield their eyes. Once the glow died down, Tsukune uncovered his eyes to see outer standing there sheepishly with her hands behind her back.

"I guess we should settle this, huh Tsukune?" she smiled.

"Moka…"

Kurumu glared daggers at the pink haired girl. "Screw you Moka! I'm going on a date with Tsukune. So there!" childishly she stuck her tongue out.

"Who the hell are you to decide that?" Mizore icily asked. "The winner of this competition gets the date and I highly doubt you killed anything boobzilla."

"Oh really?" she asked placing her hands on her hips. "Just how many dorians did you kill?"

Briefly she hesitated. "One"

The busty succubus laughed at this discovery. "Really?" she questioned with a condescending grin. "You only killed one? How lame!"

Balling her fist, the snow woman stepped toward her rival. "You're talking a lot of shit Kurumu. How many did you eliminate?"

"If you must know, I killed 3 dorians!" Earlier Kurumu said she didn't want to steal Naruto's credit because she wanted to earn her date with Tsukune, but now that the opportunity presented itself she had a change of heart.

Mizore gave her a look that said bullshit.

"What?' she frowned. "You don't believe me?"

"Of course not," was the cold girls first response. "I am the stronger one out of two of us; the idea of you beating me in a match like this is ridiculous."

Ticked off by the remark, Kurumu got even closer till she was practically in her face. "You think you're better than me Mizore? Cause if that's the case I'll kick your frozen ass right now and that will be that."

Mizore looked impassive until she cracked her neck. Rotating her shoulders, she did the same thing. "Fine… let's rock."

Before they could try and kill each other, Moka intervened. Putting herself in between the two she easily separated them. Could they go one day without doing this? "Please calm down girls. Fighting each other won't accomplish anything. We are friends so we should act like this and settle it without more conflict. Am I right?"

The girls didn't spare the vampire a glance; instead their focus was on one another. Ten seconds of eerie silence and they backed off.

"Fine," Kurumu sneered.

Mizore grunted, "Whatever…"

Once they had settled down, Moka released a breath that she had been holding. "Good." For a second there she thought she was going to have to remove her rosary though she just put it back on. With that taking care of she turned to the others. "So… what are we going to do?"

Yukari pointed to the sack of dorian fruits on the far side of the cubicle. "Well our group got five fruits and I counted Naruto's groups earlier and they have the same amount. Now the only thing to do is figure out who killed the most individually."

"Actually our group has six," Naruto redressed.

"Oh yeah, Gaara wiped out that King Dorian…"

Naruto was now stumped. "Huh?"

Tsukune took notice to his disarray. "That's right. You weren't there when Gaara killed that gigantic plant. That thing was almost as tall as this building. I know you guys are probably used to stuff like that but it was incredible to see."

"I bet it was," he murmured. The blonde converted his focus to the red head. _So that's why the fruit was so big?_ "I bet it was."

"Naruto… Let me explain…"

"There's no need. Now I know why you wanted to go alone. You were searching for that thing the whole time. I see how it is. We save the small fries for Naruto; While Gaara gets the big burger!"

"It's not like-

"I don't want to hear it," he quickly interrupted with his hand. "You shall be receiving the silent treatment from me for the rest of the day. I hope it was worth it." With a final harrumph he moved on to the hybrid. Smirking, he playfully punched the boy in the chest. "Alright man, As far as the bet goes I win. Five dorians in total, so you're taking me out to eat ramen tomorrow and I don't want to hear any crap about us both being dudes because I need my ramen."

Tsukune chuckled to hide his discomfort. "Okay, I understand that but shouldn't we wait and find out how many fruits Gaara got?"

He snorted. "Didn't you just hear?" he questioned crossing his arms. "I'm not talking to that guy right now, so if you're curious ask him yourself."

"Okay I will… Gaara-

"Four and that includes the King dorian," the stoic boy remarked slightly annoyed. Naruto always acted like this when he felt left out, but right now he was just being ridiculous.

"Looks like I still win."

Victorious was what he was feeling until he was given a wakeup call from an unlikely person. Gently she tapped him and he rounded to face her.

"Moka"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the deal was whoever gets the most fruit gets to eat them with Tsukune. Sorry but no ramen for you Naruto," she wagged her finger in his face like a mother punishing her child.

"W-What now!?"

"She's right," Kurumu chirped.

"That was the deal." Mizore added.

"Don't feel bad Naruto," said Yukari. "You should be happy! You get to eat dorians with Tsukune!"

"But I don't want to eat a fucking dorian fruit!" he shouted.

"Why not?" Kurumu gushed with sparkling eyes. "They're so tasty!"

"So delicious!"

_These girls are out of their minds._ "Please, I've seen dead rats that look more appealing. Screw this, Gaara won I'm done." After his declaration he turned and headed for the window.

"Oh no you don't." Kurumu grabbed him. "You're the one who wanted to be a part of this so claim your prize!" When she saw the irritation on his face she changed her approach. Batting her eyes and pouting cutely she asked, "You're… a man of your word… right?"

Naruto sighed while shaking his head. "Damn it…"

**Lunch The Next Day**

Walking to a lone table in the middle of the cafeteria were two male students. Like most days the hall was packed with students and all the tables had been taken except for the one in the middle which made things even more embarrassing for the reluctant friends. In their hands were the traditional square trays that held there meal, the problem was their meals weren't all that traditional.

The blonde sat down and stared at his meal with a grimace, while the brunette looked completely disgusted. Scowling they looked at each other, both unhappy about the current predicament. Being on a date with another guy was bad enough, but now they had to eat something so vile and revolting.

Grumbling to himself, Naruto picked up his fork and started fiddling with his food. "Stupid succubus…"

As he mused, Tsukune sat there bored with his cheek in his hand. They sat there like this for five minutes until they were randomly interrupted.

"Excuse me, Tsukune Aono?"

The boy in question glanced up to see a girl standing before him. The girl was pretty, with flowing brown hair and bright green eyes that hid behind her glasses. Like over half of the girls at the academy, she took care of her body and while still dressing in uniform. "Yes?"

"Um Hi… I'm Harumi," she introduced extending her hand. "Harumi Nakamura." She was a beauty but seemed to lack confidence as her stance was a little different. "I usually don't do this, but I'm a fan of the newspaper club and I love your articles. I've been collecting them for some time now."

Naruto didn't say anything just quietly listen to their conversation still messing with big fruit on his tray.

He cocked his head with a bashful smile. "Really?" a part of him was kind of humbled then the other part was telling him that this was Mizore all over again, but he stayed calm and held out hope that this was different. "I'm flattered… I'm glad to hear you like my work."

"Are you kidding? I don't like your work I love it!" she raved then she reached into her hand bag and pulled out a miniature book with all of his articles. Opening it, she promptly flipped through the book to find a specific page. "Ah ha!" once found she practically shoved the record book in his face. "See!"

His chestnut orbs scanned the page up and down. "This is the article I wrote on the academy's teachers and faculty members." Flabbergasted he smiled up at her. "I wrote this at the beginning of my first year! I can't believe you still have this." Unlike Mizore's book, there wasn't anything strange added to it.

"Well I'm an aspiring journalist and you write the best stuff," she shrugged trying to hide a blush. Reaching back into her purse she pulled out a ballpoint pen. "Do you mind?"

"Sure," he grinned taking it from her grasp. Quickly he wrote his signature on the cover and handed it back to her. "Here ya go!"

"Thanks. I guess I'll see you around?" she questioned hopefully.

"Of course," he said.

"Well…Bye," she waved and turned to walk away. His eyes followed her as she accidentally bumped into a boy while staring back at him instead of focusing on where she was going. She vigorously apologized to the boy before quickly scurrying off.

Amused, he watched her retreat. There was no doubt that she was clumsy but she was still cute and kind of appealing.

_Smack!_

"Ah!" Tsukune rubbed the back of aching head. Looking up at the blonde he glared. "Why did you do that?"

Naruto glared back with a smirk. "Why are you flirting with girls while I'm here? That's not cool man."

"First of all… I wasn't flirting with her, second and most important of all… WE'RE NOT TOGETHER!"

"You're right. But your girlfriends made us do this so right now…WE ARE TOGETHER!"

"They aren't my girlfriends," he protested.

Naruto snorted. "Yeah sure… You keep telling yourself that Tsukune." Taking a deep breath he tightened his grip on his fork. His palms were sweating with anxiety and his heart rate was picking up. Gulping he stared at a slice of the dorian fruit in front of him. "Are you ready?"

A bead of sweat rolled down the brunette's face. "I'm as ready as I'm going to be."

"Alright…Lets do this!" he said with determination.

Both boys stabbed a slice of the dorian fruit on their plates and hesitantly raised it to their mouths. Taking a deep breath they shoved the food in their mouths and started to slowly chew.

"It's…not…that… bad," Naruto lied with a grimace.

With a mouthful of slimy produce he nodded his fake agreement. "Yeah…It…has a…unique taste." He barely finished through crunches.

This went on for a short while longer until they were finally able to swallow it. Groaning they leaned over the table and panted with their heads down. The taste was just so awful and it felt so repulsive going down, but at least they got it down. Well almost…

Shooting up from their seats they started hiccupping as if something was about to come forth and it was. Unfortunately their stomachs weren't strong enough to handle the repulsive food and now they were on the verge of puking. Scrambling out of their seats they raced out of the cafeteria, pushing people out the way as they had made a full sprint for the boys restroom.

"Look at blondie run!" Kurumu laughed while banging her fist on the table.

Yukari giggled. "I wonder if they'll make it."

"I doubt it," Mizore said with indifference. Currently she was reading a book to take her mind off the girl who was just flirting with her future husband.

While Naruto and Tsukune were supposed to eat alone, the others ate at their usual table and watched from afar. At first they were bored watching them just sit there but then that girl came and started talking to Tsukune the girls started to become upset. Even Moka was irritated and she normally hides her jealousy well. Now her frustration was gone and in its stead was the feeling worry.

"I didn't expect this kind of reaction," she said. As they ran out of the hallway she noticed that Tsukune's eyes had watered and Naruto's face had changed colors. "I hope they are alright."

Gaara sat with them, but had remained silent for the most part. "Don't worry about them. Once they vomit up that deplorable fruit they'll be fine."

Moka smiled, "Perhaps you're right." Her green eyes gazed up at him. "I know my other half already did this, but I liked to thank you for saving my little sister."

"Like I told her, thanks are unnecessary. Letting her die wasn't an option."

"Of course," she hummed contently while watching the student's converse as the cafeteria was quite lively. "Now that we can all trust each other maybe things will settle down."

"Do you really believe that?" he asked as he became distracted.

Moka followed his line of vision to see the three girls arguing amongst each other. Kurumu and Yukari had started off bickering about something which led to a lot of name calling. Mizore didn't want to get involved, but she was reading a romance novel and they were disrupting her concentration so she tried to intervene and she only ended up making things worse.

Now all three girls were having a shouting match, while the rest of the cafeteria's occupants ignored them. Moka's face twitched at the scene before her. Sighing she replied.

"Maybe I spoke to soon…"

**To be continued…**

* * *

><p><strong>Lol I had to add a little humor at the end.<strong>

**Chapter 10 is now in the books. So how was it? Good or bad?**

**I know you guys noticed That Naruto and Gaara didn't exactly tell them everything but that's rational. It really wouldn't make sense if they dumped their entire lives on the Rosario cast; it's just too much for anyone to take in at once. Slowly they will inform them and over time both sides will get to know each other.**

**The next chapter is going to be more fun and less serious, so it should be refreshing to read something with less feels.**

**A little off topic, but I mentioned it last chapter, I had wrote an Attack on Titan fic not too long ago. I posted it last month, it's called Eternal Link and it's an Aruani (Armin x Annie) one shot! I like to promote this because it's far different than any other project I have ever worked on as far as writing goes. I'm planning the sequel but I'm trying to get as much feedback as possible before moving forward.**

**Till next time see ya! Toto out ;)**


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